Love Always
by snapefan2007
Summary: After the war Draco Malfoy's parents are killed for their disloyalty to the death eaters. draco goes to grimmauld place and he and hermione realize their feelings for each other and get together despite ron's meddling.  but will their love last forever?
1. After the War

"Harry, you have got to be kidding me! He tried killing Dumbledore, he's one of the Death Eaters and he's an ungrateful little ferret! We saved his life twice and he didn't even say thank you! Why should we save his behind again? He deserves everything he gets for being such a git!"

Harry looked at Ron with a look of disgust. Ron had not been there that night when Draco had failed at killing Dumbledore. Harry sighed sadly as he remembered his fallen professor.

"Ron, Malfoy is no more a death eater than you or I. I am positive that if I had not finished off Voldemort that Malfoy would have been dead within days. Perhaps it wouldn't have even been minutes. After all, he and his parents were classified as blood traitors when he failed his task. You were not there the night when he failed to kill Dumbledore. I heard him when he said that if he did not kill Dumbledore that Voldemort would kill his whole family. Therefore, since Professor Snape killed Dumbledore Malfoy is completely innocent in my eyes. He only became a death eater because it was his father's punishment for not retrieving the prophecy that night at the ministry."

"That doesn't mean he's not still a git though. He's always been one and he always will be one. Just face it Harry, he's a lost cause."

"Ronald Weasley, why is it that you always have to be so thick? Grimmauld Place belongs to Harry and if he wants to bring Malfoy here then it is his decision. Besides that, Harry is right. Malfoy turned his back on Voldemort just as Professor Snape did. I told you both time and time again that Snape was good and you never believed it. It's time you got over yourself now Ron and just try accepting Malfoy. You'll get used to him sooner or later. Besides, nobody is saying that you have to be best friends with him. For that matter, you don't even have to be friends with him. Just try to be civil towards him."

"Yeah, like that's going to happen. Ron's not really one to forgive and act civil towards his enemies. Don't you remember him having all those snog fests with Lavender Brown just because he was mad when he found out that you had snogged Krum in fourth year? He's not exactly too logical is he? Anyways, you don't have a problem with Malfoy coming here do you Hermione?"

"Why would I? This is your house and you can do as you please. Besides that, Malfoy isn't really that bad if you ignore his constant jibes and sarcasm."

"In that case we might as well place a Silencing Spell on him so we don't have to hear anything he says, right Harry?"

"I don't think we need to go to that extreme because it won't take that long to find the remaining death eaters. At least I hope it doesn't. In any case, you need to just lay off and give it a rest. "

"Yes Ron, give it a rest! And if you don't like the fact that Draco will be living here, you can always move back to the burrow with your mum and dad."

"Whatever. Fine, I will try to be civil but I am not promising anything so you can't hold me to my word. When does the spineless git get here anyways? Oh, and Hermione, since when do you call Malfoy by his first name?"

Hermione blushed but chose to ignore Ron's question and looked at Harry and waited for his answer as to when Draco would be arriving.

"Malfoy will be arriving first thing in the morning and I expect you to be up and ready for his arrival. And don't call him a spineless git. He has more of a spine than you have and he's much smarter and much wealthier and…"

"And you'll be announcing you engagement to him any day now."

Harry scowled, shot Ron a look of disgust and walked out of the room. Maybe Ron was right. Maybe he shouldn't bring Malfoy into his home but he could not let the death eaters who were still out there get to Malfoy and kill him. He knew more than anyone else that Malfoy was innocent of a lot of things and even though he was a death eater, he didn't deserve to die. He would be safe for the night at the ministry, but Harry had already made up his mind. He had to help Malfoy because if he didn't Hermione would never forgive him. He knew how she felt about him, even though Ron was too blind to see it. Harry had known for a long time now and since he would do anything for his friends, it was the least he could do. Finally he put his thoughts aside and lay down on his bed. He tried to sleep for a few hours, but sleep eluded him. Finally he got up and went downstairs and out onto the stoop to apparate to the ministry to get Malfoy. This was going to be a long morning.


	2. The Arrival

**Chapter 2**

**The Arrival**

"Ok, here we are Malfoy. Now, look at this paper and memorize what it says. Then think really hard about what the paper says and you'll see where we are."

Draco Malfoy rolled his eyes. After the Dark Lord had been vanquished his parents had found him immediately and taken him away from Hogwarts, totally abandoning the duties that they had as Death Eaters. It was for this that they had been killed mere seconds after stepping out the doors of the castle. Luckily enough for Draco, a body bind spell hit him from behind, causing all of the curses to soar over him. The Death Eaters thought him dead so they all fled from the castle grounds into hiding. Seeing as he had made it through the fighting and the wrath of the other Death Eaters, he felt like he was safe for once. However, he was a full body bind so what good could that possibly do him? Just as he was beginning to think that he would be sorted in with the rest of the dead Death Eaters, none other than Harry Potter himself had come out from where he had been lurking in the shadows and unbound him. Potter had grabbed his arm and took him to Kingsley Shacklebolt, who had been announced as the temporary minister of magic, and begged him to take Draco to the ministry for the night and let him pick him up in the morning. What boggled Draco's mind was the fact that Potter was even helping him. He had just assumed that since they were always so vile to each other that there was no chance that Potter would ever try to help him. However, that night Potter had saved him three times, even though he and his friends had tried their best to kill the "Golden Trio". And then when he had tried joining back up with the Death Eaters, Dolohov tried killing him and out of nowhere came a jinx that stupefied the dumb man and a voice saying something about it being the second time saving him that night and proceeded to call him a git. Draco knew that voice. It was Weasley's voice, that filthy little blood-traitor. But what he still did not understand was why Potter stopped the Death Eaters from killing him. It was just confusing. He'd have to ask sometime, but now was not the time. He snapped out of his trance as he heard Potter talking again.

"Malfoy, are you ok? Wait, what am I saying? How dumb of me to even ask that question. Of course you are not ok. You just saw both of your parents killed in front of you less than 24 hours ago. Anyways, just think about what I gave you and we can go inside so we can all get some rest. I'm sure you'll need it because I know I do. I never slept last night. Anyways, let's get this over with."

Draco thought hard about the sheet of paper but not too hard. Malfoy's never think too hard, just hard enough to get what they needed. Suddenly a door appeared out of nowhere and Harry opened it.

"After you Malfoy, and do be careful please. We don't want to wake anything up in here. Now I wonder where Ron and Hermione are…"

"Whoa, you mean I have to share this place not only with you but with Granger and Weasley too? Why didn't you just let the Death Eaters kill me? It would have been better than having to stay here. Where are we anyways, this place is giving me the creeps."

"Since when does a spineless git like you get the creeps, Malfoy?"

"Ah, Weasley, I wondered when you would be showing your hideous face. I started getting the creeps when I heard I had to share this place with you and the-"

"Don't even say it Malfoy or I'll hex you into oblivion!"

"Mudblood."

"Ron, put your wand down. Malfoy, don't call Hermione a Mudblood again."

"Why, what are you going to do to me Potter?"

"I haven't figured that out yet. Now come on and I'll show you your room. Oh wait, both of you give me your wands."

"What?"

"You're kidding, right Potter?"

"No I'm not. I will no risk you two killing each other."

"So why does the mu-, I mean Granger, get to keep her wand?"

Hermione came in from what Draco assumed was the kitchen and he had to bite back a gasp. He hadn't known she could still affect him like this.

"I get to keep my wand because I have no problems with you being here unlike Ron who is still harboring some very ill feelings towards you. I, however, have no feelings toward you one way or the other."

Draco snorted, struggling to keep his front up to her.

"Ok Granger, whatever you say. Well, here's my wand Potter, can you please show me to my room now? I'd like to get some sleep sometime this year. Of course I would like to clean up first, I feel absolutely filthy after being at the ministry all night."

"Alright, come on. I'll take you to your room, Malfoy."

"No, I'll take him Harry. You go get some rest and I'll show him where the important stuff is. Come on, Malfoy."

"Draco."

"What?"

"My name is Draco. If you call me Draco I will call you Hermione."

"Very well, follow me Draco."

Merlin it sounded weird to hear her call him by his first name for a change. It sounded kind of nice though. She had a very soft and comforting voice when her guard was down. He liked this voice much better than the voice she used when she was angry at him. Maybe he should just let himself be nice to her like he wanted to be. It wouldn't be that bad or that hard.

'What are you thinking? You are so much better than that filth. Why would you want to be nice to her?'

"Shut up."

"Excuse me?"

"Umm, I'm sorry. I was just telling my head to shut up."

Hermione stopped and looked at him like he was crazy. He couldn't really blame her, he would think he was crazy too. Then she shrugged her shoulders and turned to a door and opened it.

"This is your room. The bathroom is just down the hall on the right hand side. My room is just through the door over there if you need anything. Dinner is at six o'clock sharp. In the meantime, if you need anything you can call Kreacher and he'll be glad to get you something."

"Who is Kreacher?"

"Kreacher is the house elf that came with this house."

Draco's jaw dropped to the floor.

"You have a house elf? I thought you were against slave labor."

"I am, but he doesn't belong to me, he belongs to Harry. Besides that, Harry set him free and he is here of his own accord. Harry has been kind to him so he decided to stay with us instead of going back to the Hogwarts kitchens and working like Dobby did after he was freed."

"So let me get this straight, Potter is nice to his house elf, he saved me three times, and he brought me here to keep me safe. Can you answer something for me, Hermione? Why is he doing all of this? Why is Potter being so nice to me? And why are you being so nice to me?"

"Harry is doing this because he didn't want another innocent person to die for no reason."

"Me innocent, what in the bloody hell makes him think I am innocent?"

"He was there that night on the tower. He knows why Dumbledore let Snape kill him and that is why he gave himself up to Voldemort without a fight. That is also why none of Voldemort's spells would stick after that. Harry gave himself to end everything and when Neville killed that snake with the Sword of Gryffindor it destroyed the last piece of that monster that was keeping him alive. So when he cast the Avada Kedavra at Harry and Harry cast Protego, it rebounded and killed Voldemort for good. That is why Harry is doing this. Well, that and I think he wants to end the silly feud that we have had going on since first year. Anyways, I'll leave you to get cleaned up. There are clean clothes in the wardrobe. Have a good rest and I will see you at dinner."

Hermione turned to leave and he couldn't help but stop her.

"Wait, don't go."

"What is it Draco?"

Draco heard the tiredness in her voice and he felt sorry for her.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you have a nice voice when you put your guard down?"

"No, they haven't."

"Well, you do have a beautiful voice. Now you should go get some rest, you sound horribly tired."

"Yes, I suppose I am. Thank you, Draco."

"No, thank you for telling me the truth about things. Good Night, Hermione."

"Good night, Draco."

With that Hermione walked through the door connecting her room to Draco's and left him alone. Draco went and took his shower and came back and settled in for some sleep.


	3. Waking Up

**Chapter 3**

**Waking Up**

Draco woke up from his sleep with a start and looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table. '4:59' it read. Great, there was a whole hour until diner. What was he supposed to do for a whole hour? He looked around the room thinking and saw the room that joined his room to Hermione's. Suddenly it hit him that he could go and bug her for an hour. Well, he could bug her if she was awake. He tapped lightly on the door and heard a soft "come in" so he entered the room. Draco looked around confused. He thought he had heard her say to go in but nobody was in the room. Therefore he decided that he would look around the room. He was just opening the large wardrobe to study Hermione's clothing when he heard footsteps and a gasp coming from the doorway behind him. Draco turned and looked at the doorway and was totally shocked at the sight he saw. Hermione was standing in the doorway wearing nothing but a towel. A smile slowly slid across Draco's face.

"My my, don't you look stunning."

"Draco, I am in a towel standing in my doorway. I just got out of the shower and I am still dripping wet. Do you think you could forgo the sarcasm for just a little while?"

"Who said I was being sarcastic? I just came in here to see what you were doing. I thought you said to come in."

"Well, I didn't. Now can you please leave so I can get dressed in peace?"

"Can't I stay if I promise not to look?"

"OUT!"

"Fine fine, I'll wait outside. Can you tell me when you are done though? I thought we could talk."

"Fine, now get out."

Draco stood outside the door waiting patiently. He wondered what this place was. He also wondered why Hermione was being so kind to him. He wouldn't be kind to him if roles were reversed. He had been horrible to her calling her a Mudblood every chance he'd had. At last the door opened and all of his thoughts flew from his mind. Hermione was dressed in snug fitting blue jeans and a fitted pale blue top. Her usually bushy brown hair had obviously been hit with a straightening charm or two. She was absolutely gorgeous and he was sure that his face showed what he was thinking.

"Problem Draco?"

"None whatsoever. You look great, what have you done to yourself?"

"Well, I obviously showered and changed my clothes. My hair has been like this for ages though, not that I expected you to notice. However, I highly doubt that you came in here to talk about my hair so why don't you come in and we'll have that talk."

"Uh, umm… ok."

Draco made to walk past her, but he accidentally walked right into her because he couldn't stop staring at her. And when they made contact he felt his stomach do flips and his heart leaped. He hated this reaction. He was a Malfoy and Malfoy's were not supposed to react that way to people like her.

'What does it matter what a Malfoy would or would not do? You are the only Malfoy left so you can do whatever you want and like whoever you want. You can totally change the standards of your family and admit your attraction to Hermione. You can blow away all this 'pureblood is best' crap. Just think of what a shock it would cause!'

Draco put a smirk on his face as he thought about it.

'But on the other hand, father would be so disappointed in you for disregarding his wishes. You wouldn't want to disappoint him do you? But then again, he's dead now so what should it matter?'

Hermione noted the look of confusion on Draco's face where just a moment ago there had been a smile. Hermione wondered what could be conflicting him so.

"Draco, are you ok?"

"Huh? Oh yeah I'm fine. Shall we get to talking then or should we just wait until after dinner to talk?"

"Whatever suits you is fine with me. You are the one who wanted to talk."

"Do you want to know what suits me? This suits me…"

Draco grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and pulled her close to him. He put his hand on her cheek and planted a light kiss on her lips. Hermione gasped and took a step back. Had that really just happened? Did Draco Malfoy really just kissed her?

"Uh Draco, what just happened here?"

"I just kissed you."

"Yes, but why did you kiss me?"

"I don't know, I guess I just felt like it so I did. Why, didn't you like it?"

"I-I don't know… I don't know if this is such a good idea. Maybe we should just go down to the kitchen and wait for dinner to be served. Yes, I think that is an excellent idea. Shall I bring you to the kitchen then?"

Hermione's cheeks were bright red and she was rambling. This could not be good. Draco could not tell if she was angry or extremely embarrassed though. He didn't know why she would be angry though. After all, it was only a kiss.

'A kiss you probably shouldn't have given her. What were you thinking Malfoy?' 

"I'm sorry Hermione, I shouldn't have done that. I just got carried away in the moment. I won't do it again if you don't want me to."

"It's fine, Draco. I'm just confused. I thought you hated me and here you are kissing me. It's all just a little too weird for me at the moment. Anyways, let's go down to the kitchen now. I'm starving and I bet dinner is just about ready. Come on."

Draco followed Hermione reluctantly. In his mind he was cursing himself for doing such a stupid thing. Why couldn't he control himself and why was he letting her affect him so much? She obviously wasn't that affected by him.

'Maybe she is affecting you so much because she is the only female around. Get it together Malfoy; she's nothing but a filthy Mudblood.'

Draco shrugged his shoulders and continued down the seemingly endless stairs. At last they descended the final flight of steps into the tiny, dungeon-like kitchen which was located in the basement.

"You're kidding me, right? This is the kitchen? It looks like a dungeon."

"What do you expect; this house belonged to an entire family of Slytherin's. Well, there was one exception and that was Sirius. He is the one who left this place to Harry when he died."

"Sirius? You mean Sirius Black as in the one who was convicted of killing all those Muggles? He was my cousin! That must mean that this is the 'Noble and Most Ancient House of Black' that mother was always talking about. Boy was she right, this place is creepy…"

"Yes it is creepy. The portrait of Mrs. Black in the hallway, you know where the curtains in the hall are, it screams obscenities and all sorts of horrible things at people if you are too loud. Worst of all it came with a permanent sticking charm."

"Yippee. Mother always told me that the lady was a nut job. Let me guess, the Black Family Tree is somewhere around here with a permanent sticking charm too, right?"

"Yes, but how did you know about that?"

"Because she did the same thing in our house when Mother married Father. She was Mother's Aunt, but she practically raised her, aunt Bellatrix, and their sister Andromeda. Of course Aunt Andromeda was burned off of the tree before I was born, but Mother still talked to her even though she was a blood-traitor and married a muggle. Of course Aunt Bella disowned her immediately but she was unhinged as Mrs. Black. Mrs. Black was so proud when cousin Regulus joined the Death Eaters, but it is not as great as people would think. Voldemort was such a vile…thing. He was a monster. He was so obsessed with beating death that it was obvious that he was afraid of dying. That is why we were called the Death Eaters, we were supposedly defeating death. I never wanted to join them but they held me down as he branded me. The Dark Mark has faded away now, see? It's nothing but a scar now, just as Potter's scar is probably naught but a scar now."

"Oh Draco, I am so sorry you had to go through all of that crap last year. How did you ever make it through the year, it must have been horrible!"

"It kind of was. After my two failed warnings to Dumbledore, Snape told me to quit being so dim and get on with it. He said get done with whatever was preoccupying me and do what I had to do or let him help me. I thought he wanted all the glory for himself. When I realized that I was not going to be able to pull off warning Dumbledore, I knew I had to really start working on that cabinet but I was still hesitant to do it. When I disarmed Dumbledore that night I was utterly terrified, but my time had run out so I had to do what I had been commanded to do. And when I couldn't kill him and Snape did it even though Dumbledore was pleading with him not to, well, that is when I knew I was right. Snape wanted all the glory for himself. My biggest mentor was a common murderer. I couldn't believe it. "

"What is that you are saying Malfoy? That you know Professor Snape wanted to take all the glory? I happen to know differently. He killed Dumbledore on Dumbledore's own command. Snape was the bravest person I have ever had the chance to know. He played spy for Dumbledore pretending to be Voldemort's right hand man. He also loved my mum more than life itself. Tell me, did you ever see his patronus? It was a doe, just like my mum's was. And then he lost my mum to my father all because he called her a Mudblood. They were friends for years and they threw it all away over a stupid name. He never stopped loving her even after she married my dad. He loved her still when he died. Do you know that the reason Dumbledore trusted him so much is because he tipped the Order off about Voldemort going after my mum and dad and I, and that he turned his back on Voldemort because he loved my mom so much? It is hard to imagine, but it is true. He gave me the memories himself. I was there when he died and I wept when I saw the truth because like you I thought he was just a common murderer with no heart. He became Headmaster of Hogwarts because he promised Dumbledore he would protect the school and the students who came here. And although he always treated me with so much hate, he was protecting me as well. Not for Dumbledore, but for my mother. And now I know the truth about Snape. He was the brave one and Dumbledore was a greedy coward. I loved him, but he was full of greed. He put on one of Voldemort's horcruxes, the ring that belonged to his grandfather Marvolo Gaunt, and that is why his hand was all black. It was a cursed ring and Snape had to trap it in his hand. Dumbledore knew he was going to die and he knew that Voldemort was planning on having you kill him. That is when he arranged for Snape to do it instead of you. He did not want you to rip your soul apart. He was just protecting you. Dumbledore and your mother both enlisted him to protect you and watch out for you. Anyways, that is all I am going to say for now. Hopefully it has changed your thoughts about him. I know the memories changed my mind. I owe him my life. Who knows how many times he saved me without my knowing it."

"Wow Potter, to hear you talk you would think you had known him forever."

Harry shot him a dirty look.

"I didn't mean that in a bad way, it came out wrong. Look, you know more about him than I ever did and I was sorted into his house! I never knew he was in love with your mother or that he was even capable of love. And I never knew that he actually was Dumbledore's man and was playing spy for him. He was a very brave man to do that. Most Slytherin's aren't usually brave, they're usually cowards. Big dumb cowards like me."

Hermione stepped forward to speak.

"You are brave Draco. You are not a coward and you were in Slytherin."

Just at that moment Ron walked into the room and Hermione froze. He seemed to be in a much better mood than earlier, although with him you could never tell. He walked up to Hermione and gave her a kiss.

"Morning, Hermione. You look great. Hey Harry, did you sleep well?" Then as a last thought he nodded curtly. "Malfoy."

"Weasley."

"Did your room suit you or was it too small for the spoiled little pureblood prince?"

"You know Weasley, I don't know why Hermione puts up with you. You aren't very nice to people. She deserves someone who would treat her like a queen. Someone like…me."

Ron snorted and Hermione stood there with her mouth hanging open in shock.

"Someone like you, huh? You mean someone who would constantly be reminding her of her lowly bloodline, because that is all you have ever done to her. You tormented her at school and now you expect her to leave me for you? You must be mental! Do you even know what it means to love somebody besides yourself? Oh this is just rich, Malfoy. If she leaves me for you I will eat my socks!"

"Excuse me, I don't feel much like eating just now. I'll come down and get something later. Have a good dinner."

With that Draco turned and walked out of the room. What in the world had possessed him to say that Hermione deserved him? All he knew was that Ron was right. Hermione would never be his.

'Merlin, I must be losing it. First I kiss her and now I'm practically asking her to marry me. What am I thinking?'

Draco walked into his room and lay down on his bed. He knew what he had been thinking of, but she didn't want him, so he had to think of a way to apologize to her. Instead of thinking though, he fell asleep.


	4. Dinnertime

**Chapter 4**

**Dinnertime**

Hermione sat quietly at the table think about what had just happened. Draco had just basically asked her to leave Ron for him. What had he been thinking? Was he serious? Hermione sighed. What a night!

"What's wrong my Hermione? Did something that git said offend you? Just looking at Malfoy offends me. I can't believe the gall he had to tell you that you deserve better and that you should be with him. How rich is that? The git thinks he's better than me just because he's got money and I don't. Well, we'll just see who gets the girl in the end."

"Ron, Draco is right. You are mean. You say horrible things all the time and you get extremely jealous for no reason. You are also treating Draco like he is pond scum even though he has done nothing wrong and he didn't say anything that wasn't the truth. It's all getting old and I don't know if I can take it much longer. You need to grow up!"

"You're calling him Draco all the time now! Since when do you call Malfoy by his first name?"

"We called a truce this morning and he asked me to call him by his first name. He calls me by my first name too."

"Yeah, maybe he did ask you to call him by his first name, but you called him Draco last night before he even got here. What have you got to say to that?"

"Harry calls him Draco, too don't you Harry?"

"Er… What? Oh, yeah I do call him Draco. He's different now mate. He apologized and explained everything before you came down her. That's what we were talking about when you walked in. Sorry you weren't here."

"You two are so blind! He has NOT changed and he's probably up there laughing at all of us right now and plotting our murders! A person does not change that much in 24 hours!"

"They do if they were under the imperious curse, Ron. I have reason to believe that he's been under it for quite some time. Thus the sudden change in behavior and his being nice to Harry and I. Why he even-"

Hermione stopped and blushed. She had almost blown it and told Ron about Draco's kiss. She saw his face growing red and knew he was about to explode.

"What? What did he do? Tell me Hermione! What did he do to you? If he tried touching you, I'll kill him!"

"I'm sorry, Ron. I'm afraid that because of your irrational reaction to what I said, you are going to have to eat your socks. Although I am not leaving you for him, I am leaving you nonetheless. Draco was right, I do deserve better than you. You are not my boyfriend anymore; I'm done with your hotheadedness and stupidity."

Hermione turned and started walking out of the room but she turned to Harry at the last minute.

"Harry, can I still stay here?"

"Of course you can. Besides, I'm sure the two of you will be together again eventually, right? If not, you'll at least be friends won't you?"

"Maybe someday but right now I'm just not sure. I need time to think. Will you please excuse me now? This conversation has made me ill and I seem to have lost my appetite. I'll be in my room if you need me, Harry."

With that Hermione walked out of the kitchen and upstairs to her room where she slammed her door and flung herself onto her bed sobbing. Ron was such a prat. He was so mean and possessive she never wanted to talk to him again. And maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't. Only time would tell.


	5. The Proposal

**Chapter 5**

**The Proposal**

Draco woke up with a start and looked at the clock on the table next to his bed. Merlin, he had only been asleep for about fifteen minutes. The door slamming was what must have woke him up. Who would be slamming doors though? Was it Weasley causing all that racket? No, why would he be slamming doors? Unless…. Hermione, it had to be Hermione. He got up and went to go check to make sure she was ok and while he was at it he would apologize for his actions earlier. He went to the connecting door and went into Hermione's room quietly.

"Hermione, are you ok sweetie?"

'What on earth made you call her sweetie, Malfoy?'

"Draco?"

"Yes."

Draco went and sat on the edge of the bed next to her.

"Oh Draco, it was horrible! He said so many mean things and I broke up with him! And I made a terrible mistake, I almost told him about our kiss and I had to stop myself mid-sentence and he went ballistic and I'm so confused!"

"Hermione, I'm so sorry about all of this. It's all my fault and I never should have said any of it. That being said, if you need me, I am here. I promise you I will never hurt you or confuse you like this again. Can we be friends?"

"After all you said downstairs you want to be friends?"

"Of course I do, why wouldn't I?"

"Draco, being friends is great, but-"

"But what? Is it because you don't think you could be friends with a Malfoy? I could change my last name if you want!"

"Draco, I just assumed that you wanted more than friendship from me. That is what you implied downstairs anyways. You practically told me that you wanted to marry me."

"What if I told you that I do want to marry you? I mean, what would you say to that?"

Hermione's heart lurched.

"I- what was the question again?"

"I love you, Hermione. I have loved you since I first saw your bushy hair and heard your bossy, know it all voice ask if anyone had seen Longbottom's toad. I loved the way you glared at me and even though it hurt, I loved the way you punched me. I couldn't have you then because of the stupidity of my father's beliefs, but once I heard that Voldemort was a halfblood I knew I could be with you. Then they forced me to become a death eater and I lost my chance with you again. When Harry killed the Dark Lord, I knew that I could have a chance, but I didn't know how because I thought I would never see you again. Then they killed my parents and Harry saved me and brought me here and I got my chance back. I should have known you were with Weasley but I didn't want to believe it. Hermione, please forgive me for all of the horrible things I did to you over the years. I will be lucky if I am even half the person you are. You're smart, beautiful, and you're one of the most loving people I have ever known. You're also the bravest, except for Harry and I think he got that from you and his parents. I love you Hermione, please forgive me and say you love me too."

"Draco, I just broke up with Ron and…"

"I'm not asking you to say you love me right away. I'll wait as long as it takes for you to say it. All I know is that I love you."

With that Draco planted a kiss on Hermione's forehead and made a trail of kisses down to her neck where he buried his face and pulled her to him in a close embrace. Hermione pulled away slowly and looked him in the face.

"Draco, I'm not going to lie to you. I have loved you for as long as I have known you. I never felt this way about Ron, but I had to take my own advice and date other people and hope that someday we would be together. I gave that advice to Ginny when she was gaga over Harry the first couple years she was at Hogwarts and he didn't notice her. Eventually he did and they will eventually probably be married. I however was not so keen on moving on. I always felt that underneath all of our hatred for each other that there was something more. So Draco, if you are asking me to love you, you don't have to ask anymore because I already have for a long time."

"Then marry me, Hermione."

"What?"

"You heard me, I want to marry you. I want to be with you and have children with you. I love you. I want to be the one to make you happy and the one you come home to at night. I want to be the one to hold you when you're upset and when you are sleeping. I want to take you to live at Malfoy Manor and if you don't like the name we can change it. We can change it to Granger Manor and I will take your last name. I'll leave the Malfoy name behind with all the suffering it caused. I love you Hermione and I would do anything for you. Please marry me."

"A year ago I would have said yes without another thought in the world, but now I need some time to sort things out. I'm not going to say yes right away because think about how that would look to other people. However, I am not saying no either. I think we should just spend some time being together as boyfriend and girlfriend first but I will be thinking about it very hard. I do want you to know that I will try to get things sorted as soon as possible. I do love you and I have for as long as I can remember, but the war just ended and I think I need to wait a bit before jumping into an engagement with you. Please say you understand, Draco."

"Hermione, I will wait as long as it takes. I would wait the rest of my life for you, but I hope it doesn't come to that. Just knowing that we will be together as a couple is good enough for me right now. "

Draco pressed his lips to hers and lay down on the bed with her lying in his arms. Together they fell into a deep sleep for the rest of the night.


	6. Acceptance

**Chapter Six**

**Acceptance**

Hermione thought long and hard over the next month. She was so incredibly happy now that Draco was finally her boyfriend. Everyone in the Order knew about it except for Ron. He had gone away on a holiday the very next morning after she had dumped him. She knew it was probably because of her, but she didn't care. She didn't even really care if he ever came back, although she knew that eventually he would. It was a warm sunny day in July when she finally came to a decision about Draco's proposal and when she finally found him she was not surprised to see that he was in her bed napping. He had taken to falling asleep in her room during the day when he felt in need of a nap. He also usually fell asleep with her in his arms at night. That is all that ever happened between them though, they kissed and fell asleep together. He rarely slept in his own bed anymore. Snapping back to reality, Hermione went and lay next to him on the bed. He would be happy that she had woken him up to tell him her decision. Gently she poked Draco in the side earning her a laugh intertwined with a snort which in turn made her laugh.

"Draco?"

"Hmmm?"

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes, I will marry you, Draco."

"Say it again, please."

Draco sat up swiftly and hugged Hermione.

"Please say that again."

"I will marry you. I love you."

"I am so glad to hear you say that. I love you too Hermione."

"Shhhh… I'm not done yet. You told me that if I did not like the name of the Manor that we could change it, but I don't want to change a thing. I fell in love with a Malfoy, therefore I want to be a Malfoy. I have always wanted to be a Malfoy. Mrs. Granger is my mum, let it stay that way. It will be the happiest day when I become your wife and when our children are born they will know that their parents love each other and that they are loved. We'll be the best parents a child could ever have. I love you, Draco Malfoy. I will marry you. I am sorry that it took so long to tell you this."

"Like I said, I would have waited forever. I do admit though that I thought you would change your mind about us. After all I put you through at school I just didn't think you would see it working between us, but I am glad that you did and I love you."

Hermione grabbed Draco's face in her hands and pulled him in for a kiss.

"I love you too, Draco."

She snaked her arms around his neck and kissed him again, this time allowing the kiss to deepen. Then all of a sudden the door flew open and Ron stood in the doorway with his mouth hanging wide open and his face a deep shade of red.

"What is going on here? I went away for a month to give you time to cool down and come to your senses and when I came back to see you Harry informed me that the two of you are together! What the heck is wrong with your head? I thought you were smart and now here you are sleeping with the enemy! I knew Harry made a mistake bringing him here. I just knew he would pull a stupid stunt like this to make me look like a fool! How long has this been going on? Did you even take time to think about our relationship? Oh wait, no you probably didn't because you're too much of a slut!"

Draco looked at Hermione and saw that she was shaking with fury.

"You've crossed the line this time, _Weasley_. I will not have you calling my fiancée a slut. Now you take that comment back."

Ron's face contorted with rage and jealousy. His ears reddened and the redness slowly radiated to his face.

"You're engaged to this- this _filth_ Hermione? Please tell me that he's lying! Please tell me that I meant more to you than this! Please tell me you're not just another useless slut!"

Hermione's face darkened and she walked very slowly over to Ron, all the while shaking in fury. Finally, with an air of total hatred, Hermione hauled off and punched Ron in the face as hard as she could and followed it with a fist to the gut and a knee to his 'wand'.

"That was for calling Draco filth, calling me a slut and finally for showing your ugly face in my room without being invited! Yes I am marrying Draco because I have loved him for years even though you were too thick to see it. I never loved you like that and I never could have. I was with you out of pity, even though you were too blind to see it. Everybody else saw it and knew of my affection for Draco. Now do us all a favor and get your filthy, traitorous ass out of my room and never show your face here again! I'm with Draco now and there's nothing you can do about it. Now get OUT!"

With those words Hermione pushed Ron out the door and slammed right in his face.

"That stupid prat, he should have known about my feelings for you! What the heck is wrong with his head? Everybody else knew but him. How is that possible?"

Suddenly she looked over to Draco and smirked.

"Draco, when do you want to get married?"


	7. Making Plans

**Author's note: I forgot to put this in before, but I own nothing. It all belongs to JK Rowling. The epilogue of book 7 is discarded. Please review, this is my first fan fiction and I want to know if you like it. However, if you don't review it I will still keep updating. I am not a deserter of something I have started. Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy my story!**

**Chapter 7**

**Making Plans**

**Six Months Later**

Draco smiled happily at Hermione. The plans for Harry and Ginny's wedding were finally starting to come together. Of course Hermione, being the organizational witch that she was, was the acting wedding coordinator. She was also slated to be the Matron of Honor, as she and Draco had gotten married three months earlier in a small ceremony in the garden of Malfoy Manor, which is where they had lived since the night they had announced their engagement to the rest of the Order. The final Death Eaters had been caught a two months after the war had ended, which was announced personally to Harry by Kingsley Shacklebolt, the minister of magic. That is the night they made the announcement of their engagement. The whole Order was there so they just decided it was time. The members of the Order were all happy for them except for Ron. Upon hearing the news again he leapt at Draco and tried to attack him. At that moment Hermione cast a body bind that caught Ron and stopped him in mid leap, thus making him fall to the floor with a sickening _CRASH! _Everybody gasped in horror and Hermione ran out of the room with Draco right behind her. Together they packed their bags, said their goodbye's to Harry and the rest of the Order and left for the Manor. Now, four months later things were completely back to normal, except Ron and Hermione were not talking at all and she had no desire to speak to him. Draco grabbed Hermione's hand, bringing him back to the present and to what Hermione was saying.

"What do you think, Draco?"

"Huh?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him and smiled.

"Ginny just said that Harry wants you to be his best man and that he wants you to pick the colors of the tux, and that he would not be opposed to green. He wants you to find a place to get them and later you can take him and show him what you come up with. How does that sound to you?"

"It sounds nice, but I am a little confused. I thought that Ron would be the best man. I mean I am honored that he likes me enough to make me his best man, but like I said, I am just a bit confused."

"Ron is being a prat. Did you know that since you two got married he has been trashing Headquarters? Harry told him that if he doesn't get his act together and stop destroying things then he will be out of the house. He told me yesterday. Anyways, Harry doesn't want him being the best man, he doesn't know if he even wants him at the wedding and I honestly don't know if I want him there either. He's changed so much since Fred died and the two of them weren't even close. Anyways, let's change the subject shall we? Ah, but look at the time, I have to go meet Harry for lunch."

"OK. I guess we'll see you later then."

Draco stood and gave Ginny a hug.

"Be sure to tell Harry I would love to be his best man."

"You can tell him yourself tonight, they're coming to dinner, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I remember. Weasley isn't coming is he?"

Ginny giggled at the way Draco still called her brother '_Weasley' _as though it weren't her last name too.

"No, Ron will be staying at Headquarters with mum as a babysitter. Did you know that Weasley is my last name too or are you just trying to forget?"

"To me you are not a Weasley anymore, you are Ginny Potter. You will be soon anyways, the wedding is only seven months away now and since you are already living with him it seems like you are married already. Besides that, I never called you Weasley; I've only ever called you Ginny and Fred and George were always Fred and George. The two of them had style. Percy was '_Weasley'_ though."

"He was also a major prat. Ignored us for almost three whole years, he did. Then he came to his senses and we invited him back with open arms."

"You've got quite a family, Ginny. Mine would never have been so forgiving, but look at the crowd they ran with. Merlin, three quarters of them were Death Eaters."

"Yes well if our young Ronald doesn't get his act together soon he'll be out of our family. He's acting like quite a git and mum said that if he doesn't snap out of it soon she's sending him to St. Mungo's Insanity Ward."

Hermione laughed.

"That prat would deserve it. He called me a slut because I am with Draco and not him."

"Just goes to show you what a prat he really is. You would have thought he'd learned his lesson when you made those birds attack him in your sixth year! And he thought it was all about him making you jealous with Lavender, which is what he was aiming to do."

"You made birds attack Weasley? Well, that makes my day. How did that one happen?"

"I was in the transfiguration classroom practicing a summoning spell and he and Lavender Brown came stumbling in and making out and I had had it with him and on my way out the door I made the birds attack him. He was trying to make me jealous by getting with her because he liked me and when he found out Viktor Krum had kissed me at the Yule Ball he went livid. Too bad for him I never got jealous of that. I was miserable over you and how you were obviously not your normal self. You weren't even trying to torment me anymore, which I looked forward to everyday, because that meant you were still the same Draco that I loved so much."

"Hermione, I am so glad you broke up with my stupid prat of a brother and finally got your man. And I finally have my man. Isn't it great?"

Hermione looked at Draco as if in a daze.

"Yes, it is great."

"I love you, Mrs. Malfoy."

"I love you too, Mr. Malfoy."

Hermione leaned in and gave Draco a kiss. Ginny cleared her throat and smiled at them both.

"Get a room you two. Actually, I'm late so I'll let you get to it. What time would you like us to come over tonight?"

"Does 7 sound ok to you Draco?"

"Yes."

"Ok, we'll come round at 7. See you then!"

In seconds, she was gone with a quiet '_pop_'.


	8. The Announcement

**A/N: It's still not mine…**

**Chapter 8**

**The Announcement**

Draco and Hermione returned from their trip to Diagon Alley in the early afternoon.

"Did you have a good time with Ginny this morning love?"

"Oh, yes I did Draco. I am so excited about their wedding. I'm so happy for the both of them, aren't you?"

"Of course I am happy for them. Harry has been through a lot in his life and he deserves to be happy. I'm glad that he and Ginny are together. I always admired her spunk. I never truly hated him you know, I was just jealous that he picked Weasley over me as his friend. Now it seems he's changing his mind doesn't it?"

"In a way it does, but I think he realizes that you were never that bad to begin with. You couldn't be if you gave up your Pureblood status for me."

"I would always give it up for you. I didn't have to think twice."

"Speaking of pure blood, you do know that our children are going to be considered half blood don't you?"

"Well, to some they might but to me they will be pureblood because your blood is pure. You are one of the purest people on the face of the earth."

"Really, I didn't know that."

"You are."

"Well Mr. Malfoy, I'm glad to hear you finally say that. Anyways, all joking aside, we need to talk."

"Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good. You aren't mad at me are you?"

"Of course not, why would I be mad at you? It is you who might be mad at me."

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"Because Draco, you know how we were waiting until after Harry and Ginny's wedding to go on our honeymoon so I could help her plan?"

"Yeah, what about that has changed?"

"Well, in seven months, I am not going to be able to fit into any of the clothes I bought for our Honeymoon."

"What is that supposed to- what are you saying Hermione?"

"I'm saying that we're going to have a baby Draco. I just found out this morning when I went to Healer Smythwyc. You know how I haven't been feeling good for the past couple of days and I thought I had the flu? Well, it is the nine month flu. Please say you're not mad at me and that you're ok with it Draco."

"I- I'm going to be a daddy? I'M GONNA BE A- When Hermione? When is the baby coming? Do you know yet? Do you know what it is? Are you ok, do you need to sit down? Here, sit down!"

Hermione giggled at Draco's antics.

"Draco, dear, I am fine. The baby will be here in 37 weeks, meaning that I am three weeks along. No I do not know whether the baby is a boy or a girl but I want you to be there when I find out. I also take your reaction as one that is happy, am I right?"

"Hermione, I am more than happy. I've never been happier except for maybe when we got married, but I don't know if even that could top this happiness. I love you Hermione and I want you to know that I am going to be the best father to this baby that anyone has ever seen."

"I love you too, Draco, and I know you will be an excellent father."

Hermione pulled Draco to her in what she meant to be a hug, but instead he turned it into a kiss so deep that it made Hermione weak in the knees. Hermione pulled his shirt off and threw it on the floor. Draco did the same with her shirt. She pulled him over to the couch by his belt where she lay down and pulled him down on top of her. She undid his belt buckle and unzipped his pants. He sat up and unfastened her skirt with the greatest care and pulled it off of her along with her underwear and got rid of his pants as well then climbed back on top of her making sure he didn't squish her.

"I'm not going to hurt the baby am I?"

"No the baby will be fine Draco."

With that he took her into his arms and they got lost in their love for each other.


	9. Hermione's Tantrum

**A/N: Nope, nothing is mine.**

**Chapter 9**

**Hermione's Tantrum**

Hermione woke up two hours later feeling confused and disoriented. Wondering what the time was, she got up and slipped on her shirt and panties and walked into the kitchen where Draco was sitting at the table in his boxers. He looked up from the newspaper he was reading and smiled.

"Hey, look who's awake. Did you have a good nap, love?"

"Yes, I had a great nap. I think you wore me out. What time is it?"

"Six O'clock."

"SIX O'CLOCK!? Oh no, I have to start dinner and take a shower and get dressed and- Why are you just sitting there!?"

"Hermione, sweetheart, you need to calm down. I have everything under control. The roast and vegetables are in the oven. Now, lets just get you showered and ready."

"What about you? Aren't you going to shower and get ready?"

"Yes, and I thought we could shower together and wash each other. It would save time and water."

"Oh Draco, you are such a goofball. But that is definitely one of the many reasons why I love you so much."

"Oh, you're calling me a goofball are you Mrs. Malfoy? You better get to that shower before I show you what a goof I can be."

"What if I want you to show me?"

"I'm afraid there wouldn't be enough time for that at the moment. Our guests would probably not want a front row seat to a porno movie when they arrive. Therefore, we'll save the festivities for when they leave. Now let's go take that shower!"

"Fine, if you insist, but you better show me your goofy ways later."

"Trust me, I definitely will."

Half an hour later, Hermione and Draco were both dressed and ready. They then went to set the table in the formal dining room, but they took the leaves out so that it was big enough for the four of them to eat at comfortably but small enough that it didn't feel like there were continents between them. Everything was perfect. Then the doorbell rang.

**A/N: Sorry about the shortness of this chapter and the little cliff I left you on, but I promise that the next chapter will be longer and you will get somewhat of a laugh out of it. this chapter was originally longer, but I separated it into two parts to make it more interesting… and to give you something to wait for… mwa ha ha… I am so evil…**


	10. Dinner with the Potter's

**Chapter 10**

**Dinner with the Potters**

Draco went and answered the door. He was happy to see Harry and Ginny standing on his porch, but he was not happy to see…

"WEASLEY! What the hell is he doing here?"

"I'm so sorry Draco. He followed us here. Mum's on her way to get him as we speak. Ah, here she is now. I guess we're going to have to put an anti-apparition jinx on the house."

Mrs. Weasley walked up to the house and immediately started in on Ron.

"Ronald Weasley, what on earth do you think you are doing here?"

"Coming to take Hermione home."

"Ron, do you really think she would do that? She is married to Mr. Malfoy now! Honestly, I don't know what goes through that head of yours sometimes! What is wrong with your head?"

Just then Hermione walked into the room. She blatantly ignored Ron's presence. Draco, should we tell them the news?"

"I guess now is just as good a time as any."

"What news Hermione? Is everything ok? You look paler than usual."

"Yes, everything is fine. We weren't going to tell anyone for a little while but I decided now is the right time to tell you guys."

"What is it dear?"

Hermione could tell by the expression on Mrs. Weasley's face that she was very worried.

"Draco and I are having a baby. I just found out this morning."

Ron's face turned beet red.

"Congratulations Hermione, we're all so happy for you and Draco. When is the baby due?"

"I am three weeks along, so about thirty-seven weeks."

Ron stood stock still, face now bordering on purple. Then he started screaming and launched himself at Draco.

"You got her pregnant? How could you do this? You ruined my Hermione! You ruined her you bastard! How could you do this to me Hermione? I loved you and you threw it all away for what? For Malfoy, the pureblood fucking Prince!"

Hermione gave Ron an evil glare and turned to Mrs. Weasley.

"Thank you for everything, Molly. I'm sorry I had to tell you the news under these circumstances, but I will owl you soon. For now though, can you please get _him_ out of my sight and out of our house?"

"Of course, dear. I'll look for your owl to arrive in a few days, alright? Now come on you. We're taking you somewhere so you can't pull this stunt again. It's off to St. Mungo's for you."

"Draco, Hermione I am so sorry about all of that."

Harry snorted back a laugh and then looked at Draco.

"I'm sorry for that prat's behavior too. But hey, congratulations on the impending fatherhood mate! We couldn't be happier for you, could we Ginny?"

"No, we couldn't. Anyways, we have news of our own don't we Harry?"

"I guess so. But I thought-"

"Oh please, Harry, let me tell them."

"Ok, since your mother already knows it's only a matter of time before the rest of the world knows as well."

"Oh stop it. Anyways, we are having a baby too. I am two weeks along so we are moving the wedding up so I will still fit in my dress. Is it ok if we get married in four months instead of seven?"

"I don't see why not. It's not like it will take forever to plan the wedding, all the details are almost finished. And it's not like you have to cancel a church or hall, you're having the wedding here and I can magically modify the invitations for you."

"Thank you Hermione."

"No problem, Ginny. I'm so happy for you."

"I'm happy for you too."

Draco looked at Harry and grinned.

"Well, I suppose that means that we are going to be daddies at about the same time. Congratulations Harry."

"Thanks mate. You two must be our baby's god parents."

"Same here, mate. But now if you don't mind, let's eat."

They went into the dining room and had roast beef cooked to perfection, potatoes, gravy, carrots, and corn. For dessert, Draco had made a tremendously delicious pudding. They spent the night eating, laughing and talking and they enjoyed each other's company so much that they did not part company until the wee hours of the morning when the sky turns purple and the stars shine brighter than any other time during the night.

"Good night you two, be safe going home."

"Oh don't worry, we will."

"We must get together again soon. How about next week at our house at the same time?"

"Sounds good to me, are you in Draco?"

"As long as Weasley won't be there and even if he is, of course I'm in… we'll just keep him in a different room."

The four of them laughed and headed for the door. Then Draco stopped and looked at Harry and Ginny.

"You know, why don't you apparate from inside? I took down the anti-apparition charms that father put up. That way Ginny can apparate in when she comes for her meetings with Hermione. Besides that, it's freezing out there."

"Alright, thank you Draco. And thanks again for dinner you two, it was wonderful. Good night."

And with that Ginny and Harry turned on the spot and left. It was time for bed again.

**A/N: Ok, so this is a little shorter than I thought it was going to be, but I think it is funny. Also, please leave a review on the way out. I would like to know what you guys are thinking about my story. Thanks to all of you who have added my story to your favorites, it means a lot to me. The next chapter should be a little longer, but no promises. Keep in mind that I wrote all of this in a notebook first. And I have made a lot of revisions. Right now I have up to chapter 21 done, I don't know how many chapters there will be after that, but it will be at least ten. Thanks for reading, enjoy and please review.**


	11. Bed Again

**Chapter 11**

**Bed Again**

"Did you have a good time tonight Hermione?"

"I had a fantastic time, how about you?"

"With the exception of being called a bastard, yes I did."

Hermione laughed softly.

"I have never seen his face turn that color of purple before. Oh how I wish we could have told everyone without his presence. You do know that everything he said about you ruining me was false, right? I wouldn't want things any other way. I love you, Draco Malfoy and I have since the first day I saw you. I just never thought we would be together like this."

"Yes, love, I know what he said was a lie. I can tell by the way your eyes sparkle when you laugh and when you smile it could light up a room. Only a person who is happy can do smile like that. It makes me want to melt. You are so beautiful and I am so lucky to have you as my wife. I love you, Hermione Malfoy. Now come here so I can kiss you."

Draco took Hermione in his arms and gave her a tender kiss. Hermione pulled away and gave him a smirk.

"Hey, don't you owe me something? You said you were going to show me what a goof you could be."

"Yes, I did didn't I? However, I think that tonight I am going to take a rain check on that."

"You don't want me tonight?"

"I didn't say that did I? I just want to take things slow tonight. You're not going to turn me down now are you?"

"Now when have I ever turned you down? You know I enjoy it as much as you do."

"Of course you enjoy it, I am a Malfoy. Malfoy's are always excellent in bed. That's why you were destined to be a Malfoy, you are excellent in bed and you are beautiful. Besides that, I love you more than life itself."

"Why Draco Malfoy, I do believe you are getting some of your arrogance back. You know what though? I like it and I love you too."

"I'm so glad I finally have you Hermione. I don't know what I would do without you. Pansy Parkinson never meant anything to me, she was just another annoying girl who tried getting my attention and failed at doing so. Father wanted me to be with her because she was pureblood but I told him I wanted you and he just couldn't accept that. Mother accepted it though, she actually cared about me and what I wanted. Father never cared. He was too busy doing other stuff. Being the Dark Lord's main lackey took a lot of time you know. And even after we found out he was a half blood fraud, father stuck with his belief that if you weren't pureblood you were worthless. What a joke. Anyways, I believe that I have mother's blessing. What about your parents though? I know they're muggles so they don't really care about bloodlines, but do you thing you have their blessing?"

"Well, if they knew they had a daughter I might have their blessing. However, they are in Australia and they think they are sheep farmers. They have no idea that I even exist. It wouldn't really do to bring them out of it either because they are missing almost a full year of their life. Anyways, they never really understood our ways and what I wanted either. They wanted me to go back to the muggle world and become a dentist, marry a muggle and renounce magic when they found out Voldemort was back. This is just the way things are supposed to be, I guess. They don't even know I exist."

"Hermione, I am so sorry. Are you sure you don't want to bring them out of it? Don't you want them to see that you are ok and that the nightmare of Voldemort is all over? Don't you want them to be able to see their grandchild, our baby? If you are really sure that you don't want to bring them back then I will support you, but I don't want you to give up your parents. I love you and loving you comes with your parents and their dentistry, whatever that is. Besides, I could pretend to be a muggle if you wanted me to. I would do anything for you Hermione."

"You would do anything for me Draco?"

"Yes."

"In that case, just shut up and kiss me."

"Your wish is my command."

Draco took Hermione's face in his hands and traced his thumb down her jaw bone which sent shivers through her spine. He crashed his lips to hers in a kiss and before they knew what was going on their clothes was lying on the floor in a heap and they were making love for a second time that day. When it was all over, Hermione lay in Draco's arms weeping silently for she knew that he was right. Hermione had to bring her parents back. She didn't want to, but it was the right thing to do and Hermione always did the right thing.

**a/n: yes, I know this is another short chapter, but it is the way they were to begin with… on paper it seemed so much longer. Anyways, thanks for reading and please review if you have a chance! I hope you enjoy the story!**


	12. Of Morning Sickness & Showering Together

**Chapter 12**

**Of Morning Sickness and Showering Together**

Draco woke up the next morning with a sigh. His only thought was of how nice it was to hold Hermione while she cried and not to be the one who had caused the pain for once. Back in school he went to bed at night kicking himself for his jibes that he had flung at her during the day. He looked down at her sleeping next to him and before he could stop himself, before he could stop the tears and the words, they were out.

"Hermione, I am so sorry I did all that crap to you. I'm so sorry. I don't deserve you and all you are giving me. I love you so much. I'm so sorry I didn't treat you better all those years, but I have changed now. I love you Hermione."

Hermione's eyes fluttered open and she turned over and looked at him, wiping the tears from his face and comforting him as he had comforted her.

"Draco, please don't cry. I know you are a changed person and I love you too. And- oh God, I don't feel so good."

With that she flew out of bed into the bathroom, where Draco could hear her throwing up. He walked into the bathroom and knelt down beside her pulling her hair back from her face with one hand and rubbing her back with the other. Hermione stopped vomiting and sat down on the floor next to the toilet.

"Are you ok love?"

"Morning sickness sucks."

"What is morning sickness?"

"It means that because of hormone imbalance- I am sick because I am pregnant."

"Is it serious?"

Hermione laughed softly.

"No dear. 99 of pregnant women get morning sickness. At least they do in the muggle world. Do they usually get morning sickness in the wizarding world?"

"I don't know, I have never been around a pregnant woman before you."

Draco blushed sheepishly.

"Well that explains why you don't know what morning sickness is. Now, why don't you go get some breakfast while I clean up?"

"What if I don't want to? What if I want to get cleaned up with you?"

Draco leaned in to kiss her.

"Draco, I just threw up, are you sure you really want to kiss me?"

Draco backed away slowly.

"Right, go ahead and brush your teeth and then I will give you that kiss."

"Ok, let me brush my teeth and wash my face and then I will call you when I am ready for you, ok?

"Yes, that sounds great. After we shower and eat breakfast we'll go get your parents and bring them home. How does that sound?"

"It sounds lovely, but I don't think it will be that simple. You see, I don't really remember where they are in Australia or if they would even be in the same place anymore. Sheep farmers move around a lot."

"That's ok darling, we can apparate to them. Just focus on your parents and we'll get there. Remember the rules? Destination, deliberation and… um…."

"Determination. Yes, I remember. I thought you said Malfoy's never forget anything. I do believe you have forgotten something dear."

Draco smirked.

"Oh ha ha, at least I remembered the first two rules. You have to remember that I didn't really pay much attention in those apparition classes. I had other more important things on my mind. Besides, I have known how to apparate since I was a child. Now, you take care of your breath, and I will be in the bedroom. Holler when you are ready for me."

"Ooh, that sounds kinky. I'll be sure that I do call you when I am ready."

Hermione gave Draco a devilish smirk and proceeded to brush her teeth. Draco went and sat on the bed and started thinking. When had Hermione become so Slytherin-ish? She wasn't mean like most of them, she was just… oh, he didn't know what she was. All he did know was that he liked the way she was now. He was brought out of his thoughts mere seconds later when he heard her calling him saying she was ready for him. He walked into the bathroom and gasped, for there she stood standing stark naked in the shower, indeed ready for him.

"My my, you never get tired of me do you?"

"Oh Draco, just get in here so we can shower."

"Whatever you say love. I love you."

"I love you too, Draco."

Hermione pulled him into the shower clothes and all. She rid him of the clothing quickly and pushed him up against the shower wall, pinning him there. She kissed him fiercely and with a fire Draco had never before seen in her. Draco pulled her close and held her to him in a hug. He pulled away gently and looked down at her.

"Hermione, I love you but if we don't stop this we will never get to your parents. It isn't that I don't want to do this, but I just thing getting them out of their current state is more important. We can resume where we left off some other time if that is ok with you."

Hermione sighed in disappointment and then looked up at him.

"I guess it has to be ok with me. Come here though and I will wash you. Then you can wash me after that."

Draco smiled at her but pulled her over to him and started washing her hair instead of letting her wash him.

"I'd rather get your shower out of the way because after that kiss you gave me I am going to need the shower to myself. Ok, you're done. Out with you so that I can take a cold shower."

Hermione got another devilish look on her face and reached down and pulled the handle to being all cold water and watched as Draco cringed at the freezing cold water. She then scrambled out of the shower so he could not retaliate, grabbed her towel and ran into the bedroom and got herself dressed. Now she was just waiting for Draco to come and get dressed so they could eat breakfast.

**A/N: Ok, so this chapter is a little longer than previous ones were. I hope you like it! I realize that the whole thing is a little mushy, but I like to think of it as a sappy romance novel. Thanks for reading and if you have the time, please review. If you don't review I will still keep reviewing though because I don't believe in leaving my faithful readers hanging on a cliff. Enjoy and I will have the next chapter up soon!**


	13. Meet the Grangers

**Chapter 13**

**Meet the Granger's**

After they had breakfasted, Draco took Hermione in his arms and reminded her to focus on her parents. He then told her that they would do side-along apparition to get to them and then they would each apparate a parent back to the manor after she had reversed the memory charm.

"Remember Hermione, no matter what happens I love you and that will never change."

"I love you too Draco."

With that there was a quiet 'pop' and they were in Australia looking Mr. Granger right in the eye… through a gun.

"Who are you and why are you on my property? I demand you to tell me."

"Dad, it's me Hermione."

"Who in the world is Hermione? And why did you just call me Dad? I have no children!"

"Hermione, perform the reversal spell!" Draco whispered into Hermione's ear.

"Right."

Hermione took out her wand and muttered the spell under her breath. Finally, recognition dawned on her father's face. He knew her again! He knew his daughter!

"Hermione, is that you? Where am I and where is your mother? Why am I dressed in this strange clothing and why do I smell like sheep? And one last thing, who is that boy you are with? What is going on here?"

"I'll explain everything in a minute, but first I have to go find mum. Draco, will you stay here with my dad while I go and get her please?"

"Of course, darling."

Hermione kissed him lightly and sped off into the house that looked more like a shed to find her mother and reverse the memory charm. Meanwhile, Draco remained behind to keep Mr. Granger company in all of his confusion.

"So, who are you anyways young man?"

"I am Draco Malfoy."

"Malfoy. Are you the Malfoy that my daughter has been mooning over since she started at Hogwarts? Are you the one who treated her so horribly that she would cry nonstop during the summer? Are you that Draco Malfoy?"

Draco sighed as he thought of how it used to be.

"That was me in the old days, sir. It was before I found out that Voldemort was a half blood fraud and I was letting my father's own stupid beliefs influence me. I have loved your daughter all along, I was just too much of a coward to show it. We got together the day after the war ended at Harry Potter's house. Sir, I love your daughter more than life itself, and I want you to know that I am taking very good care of her."

"What do you mean you are taking good care of her? Weren't you one of those Death Killers or whatever they are called?"

"I was forced to become one of them. The name of them was the Death Eaters and I hated every single minute of being in their presence. What I meant by I am taking good care of your daughter is that we are married now. We have been married for a little over four months now and we're going to-"

All of a sudden there was a huge crash that came from the house and they both heard Mrs. Granger screaming at the top of her lungs.

"You're WHAT? How can that be? You're not even married! That can't be true!"

Mr. Granger stood there with his mouth hanging open. He seemed to be rendered speechless. In all of his years of marriage to his wife he had never heard her use that tone of voice or even scream so loud.

"Mr. Granger sir, are you ok?"

Mr. Granger swallowed. He decided to ignore his wife's little outburst and question Draco about the war instead.

"H-How long ago did this war end?"

"Seven months ago, sir."

"And how long did it last?"

"It lasted a year."

"A year? A YEAR!?"

"Yes, it lasted a year from June to June."

"And what year is it now?"

"It is 1999 sir."

"It is 1999? The last time I looked at my calendar it was 1997! Ok, then if it is 1999 like you say it is, what month is it?"

"Well, it is January of 1999. It is January 20th to be exact."

"JANUARY! HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER, GET YOUR BUTT OUT HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"

Hermione's face went white with fear. What was wrong with her father now?

"Come on, mum. Let's go see what's wrong with dad. Besides, I want you to meet my husband, Draco."

Hermione stood up from the couch she had been sitting on, praying that Draco had not done anything to offend her father. She walked out of the house, followed closely by her mother, and over to her father and husband.

"What is it dad? Is everything ok?"

"No, everything is not ok! Your _husband_ here just told me that it is January of 1999! The last I knew it was June of 1997 and we were picking you up from King's Cross in England and now here we are in Australia dressed as bleeding sheep farmers! What on earth is going on here? And you boy, Draco or whatever your name is, welcome to the family. However, next time there is a wedding involving my daughter, I want to be involved. Oh, and if you ever hurt my little girl again I will hunt you down and kill you. I may not know magic but we normal people have our own ways of getting rid of people who we don't like. Now, can someone please tell me what the heck is going on here?"

Hermione looked from her mom to her dad.

"Um, I actually think it would be better to explain everything back at our house, what do you think Draco?"

"I absolutely agree, honeybee. I think it would be much more comfortable and we can heat up the leftovers from last night."

"Draco, it has only been an hour since we ate breakfast! I swear, all you men ever think about is food! How can you stand to eat so much?"

"Hermione, sweetie I was only talking about heating it up for later this afternoon, not right now. You do remember what lunch is don't you?"

Hermione sighed.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you sweetheart. I think it must be the hormones coming on. They say that they come on sooner in the wizarding world. I love you Draco."

"I love you too, Hermione."

Mr. Granger stood there in confusion.

"Hormones? What hormones?"

"I'm on birth control, daddy."

"What on earth do you need birth control for, you are only 18."

"Yes, I know daddy, but I am also married and I will be 19 soon, remember?"

"I guess you're right. I just can't believe my little girl is married and I didn't even get to walk her down the aisle. But seriously, you were together what, five minutes, when you decided to get married?"

"No, daddy it was more like a month. Besides that, I knew him at school for seven years. Now can we please go so that we can explain everything? I just have to use the bathroom first and Draco can send everything on to your old house. We'll be back in about twenty minutes."

Mrs. Granger sighed and looked at her husband. She wasn't happy, but she knew she didn't have a choice.

"Yes, Pumpkin."

Draco chuckled softly and followed his wife into the house. She was looking pale and tired, but he wasn't too worried. He started vanishing the leftover food in the refrigerator but stopped when he heard Hermione throwing up for the second time that day."

"Hermione, are you alright in there love?"

There was no answer so he tried again.

"Hermione? Baby, are you ok in there?"

There was still no answer so Draco went and tried to turn the doorknob. The door was locked so he whipped out his wand and screamed "ALOHAMORA!" which drew her mother's attention and she came running into the house.

"Draco, what on earth are you doing in here?"

"Hermione is in the bathroom and isn't answering the door. She has the door locked so I am unlocking it so that I can make sure that she is ok."

Her mother had a strange, spaced out look on her face and just smiled. It really was obvious that she had just been taken out of a strong memory charm.

"That's nice dear. Good luck getting in to see her. I'll just wait outside."

With a shrug, Draco turned back to the door and opened it. Hermione was sitting on the floor with tears running down her face.

"Baby, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

"No, Draco. I am not alright. I want to put them back under. You saw my daddy's reaction when he heard I was on birth control! He is so old fashioned and I just can't deal with this right now. Maybe after the baby is born I will feel differently, but right now it is just too much stress. Please say that you understand Draco, I don't think I could stand it if I disappointed you too."

"Hermione, didn't you hear me last night when I said that whatever you decided to do I would support you 100?"

"Yes, but-"

"But nothing, Hermione. I love you and I meant what I said. And now that you mention it, I think it is too much stress and I don't want anything to endanger my wife and baby by putting you under too much of it. It was a nice thought and I liked the idea of getting to know your parents, but I have to put you first. I love you so much Hermione and I don't know what I would do without you."

"Thank you for that, Draco. I think I should perform the spell from inside and give them new identities as well. Their old ones know that they have a daughter now and that her name is Hermione. I love you Draco."

"I love you too Hermione. Now are you ready to get this over with or do you need a moment to pull yourself together? You can take all the time you need."

"I'm ready, I just need to flush the toilet and erase my presence here."

Draco nodded and gave his wife a sad smile. Hermione flushed the toilet, grabbed Draco's hand and together they walked to the kitchen. Hermione pulled out her wand, murmured the memory charm and took one last look at her parents and the house around her. Finally, she and Draco disappeared with a quiet pop from the house.

**A/N: Here you go, a long chapter! This was originally two chapters, but I combined them into one because it just made more sense that way. The older granger's will come up again in this story sometime, but I haven't gotten that far and it will be a surprise when they do. You won't even expect it! Mwahaha… As always, enjoy the story and review if you get a chance.**


	14. Total Devastation Meets Total Joy

**Chapter 14**

**Total Devastation Meets Total Joy**

After leaving her parents, Hermione was totally devastated. She had mixed feelings about leaving them, but she knew that it had been the right thing to do. She just couldn't see explaining everything to her parents. How could she explain all the doctor visits she was going to have? How could she explain the magical sonogram pictures where the baby continues moving after the sonogram is done? She couldn't share those with them. She couldn't even share the joy with them that she had in being pregnant. Her mother had been furious about the fact that she had married someone from the wizarding world and hadn't even invited them to the wedding. She was even more furious when Hermione told her that she was having a baby. Her parents just didn't understand her. They didn't know how happy she was with Draco. One day three weeks after leaving them behind once again, she decided that there was nothing she could do about the situation and snapped out of her misery. She knew Draco had been worried about her but he didn't say much about it, he just let her cry and he comforted her the best he could. Now she just couldn't cry about it anymore. Besides the fact that she couldn't do anything about it, she had an appointment with the healer in a couple of days and she had to lower her stress level. She knew Draco was somewhere downstairs so she headed off to see him.

"Draco, are you down here?"

"I'm in the library, love."

Hermione wandered into the library to see what he was doing and saw that he was sitting at the desk looking at some papers.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm just looking through some of father's papers. It is mainly his will and it's just as I expected."

"What did you expect?"

"Well, he left everything to me, and now it is ours."

"What is everything?"

"The Manor, of course, the money in the vault at Gringotts, and then there is something I never expected and it surprises me more than you could ever imagine."

"What is it that surprises you?"

"Father left me his blessing to be with you. He left me his blessing to marry you."

Hermione stood still out of shock.

"Are you for real?"

"Yes, see for yourself. He even has a trust fund set up for the 'Malfoy-Granger children." It already has two hundred fifty thousand galleons in it."

Hermione almost choked on her own spit.

"Two hundred fifty _thousand_ galleons for the Malfoy-Granger children? But how did he even know we would ever get together and have a family?"

"Because of the fact that Malfoy's never give up until they have what they want. Also, father had the gift of sight unlike Trelawney who was an old fraud. He foresaw me marrying you when I was a child and he fought it all the way until he found out that I was in love with you. He still tried fighting it until the day he died, but I guess he didn't put his whole heart into it because this was drafted in our second year at Hogwarts. I never knew it existed until now, it just kind of appeared on the desk when I sat down."

"Ok, what if you had given up on me and had gotten together with Pansy Parkinson? Isn't that what he wanted you to do?"

"No, that is what she wanted me to do. I never liked her like that. Her voice is annoying and she snores as loud as a banshee screams. Besides that, the two of us grew up together and she had a sweet spot for the Weasel. They deserve each other because she belongs in St. Mungo's along with him. She was nuts. And to answer your other question, I would have never given up on you. I would have always loved you and looked for you until I found you. Like I said, Malfoy's don't give up until they have what they want."

"Ok, so now I have another question for you. If your father foresaw you and me being together, why didn't he foresee the fall of Voldemort?"

"He probably did, he just never told anyone about it. However, if we went to the hall of prophecy you would probably find it there."

"Maybe we would have, but the old ones were all destroyed in fifth year during the battle at the ministry. The battle also took out all of the time turners."

"Too bad, I would have liked to have seen the vision father had about us. Father could actually see the future. He had visions whereas a lot of people just go into a trance and start talking in weird voices and tell you what is going to happen. Father saw it like he was watching a movie or something."

"Draco, that is a whole other ballpark! That's kind of like being a psychic prophet. You see actual images of the future. Those were in a different room that we never even entered! They're still there, Draco!"

"You mean if we wanted to we could go look at the prophecy?"

"I think so, but you have to have an appointment. After the fight at the ministry there were people lined up for days to see if there was a prophecy pertaining to them. That is when they put the rule that you need an appointment into effect. But anyways, it will have to wait a couple of days before we can go."

"Why?"

"Because I, or rather we, have an appointment with the healer in two days, remember?"

"Yes, of course I remember. I would never forget something like that, but why can't we go before then?"

"We can't go because I want to go and get the baby furniture and some maternity clothes."

"Maternity clothes? Honey, you're barely pregnant!"

"I know that, but I want to get it out of the way now. Besides that, I want you to come and help me pick out some sexy maternity lingerie for when I start showing and my regular pajamas don't fit anymore."

"Hermione, your regular pajamas will always fit you because we rarely keep them on, remember?"

"Well I didn't know if we were going to keep that trend up once I get bigger so in that case, why not just go with me to find something that you can peel off of me before making love?"

"In that case count me in. When would you like to go?"

"How about we go tomorrow? We can go to Diagon Alley first and then go to Muggle London and pick out some stuff for the baby. That's if you want to do it that way."

"I have a better idea. How about we go to Paris? We could leave in an hour or so and come back tomorrow evening. We'll stay in our summer home that is located right in the heart of the city. How does that sound to you?"

"Oh Draco, I would love that! I love Paris, it is so romantic. Draco, I love you so much."

Hermione threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately. Draco deepened the kiss and sat her down on his lap facing him. Draco ran his fingers through her hair and brought his hand down her back and rested it on her hip. Hermione moaned softly into his mouth. Draco stood slowly with Hermione still clinging to him. He lifted her against the wall. He was only wearing boxers so he just stepped out of them. He then lifted Hermione's nightgown and found that she wasn't wearing any underwear so he wrapped her legs around his waist and slid into her. Hermione moaned again which in turn made Draco moan. Every time she moaned it turned him on even more until he finally exploded inside of her which caused her to explode into a sea of panting and little earthquakes against the wall. They stopped as quickly as they started and she looked up at him with her eyes full of love and tears. Draco swept her into a hug and patted her on the back. His wife was so beautiful after making love. She seemed so vulnerable, more than she had been at school. He pulled away from her gently and kissed her on the forehead. He then went and sat on the couch, pulling her down with him. He looked at her with a smile and brushed a stray hair away from her face. Then he spoke softly to her.

"Hermione, please don't cry anymore. Everything is going to be ok. I will not hurt you nor will I ever leave you. My heart has belonged to you since the moment I saw you. You are my future, as is our child and the many other children we will have someday. Always remember that, my love. Now, let's wipe those tears away and we will go to Paris and come home tomorrow evening and go see the doctor just as planned. How does that sound?"

"You must think I am losing it, I'm always crying anymore."

"Now that is a heaping pile of rubbish. You are pregnant and it is all the hormones doing the talking right now. I think you are perfectly fine, Hermione Malfoy. And if you do go a little mental I will be right here holding your hand because everybody goes a little crazy sometimes."

"You mean you would really stay?"

"Of course I would, but you are not going to go mental, love. You're going to be just fine. You're having a baby. Give your body some time to get used to all the new hormones. Anyways, shall we get ready to go?"

Hermione wiped the tears away and smiled at him.

"Yes, lets go!"


	15. The Summer House & Shopping

**A/N: I own nothing. It all belongs to JK Rowling.**

**Chapter 15**

**The Summer House & Shopping**

Hermione and Draco arrived at the Malfoy's summer house with a quiet 'pop'. The house was just as exquisite as the Manor, if not more. Hermione looked around in wonder at the house before turning and hugging Draco.

"Draco, this house is gorgeous and I absolutely love it. It reminds me of a palace!"

"I'm glad you like it Hermione. If you would like me to, I could arrange for us to live here for a while. We could go back to the manor for Harry and Ginny's wedding and Ginny can floo here to arrange plans for the wedding."

"If we live here though, what would we do about our appointments with Healer Smythwyc? I have to see her at least once a month at first and then when it comes closer to the due date I have to see her once a week. I can't just up and leave England!"

"I am sure that we can arrange for Healer Smythwyc to either floo or apparate here on the day of your appointments. If she can't come to us we can apparate to her. Obviously we will have to go back to the Manor when it gets closer to the birth so that we can be near St. Mungo's at all times but for now it shouldn't hurt to live here. I've always loved it here so I could be persuaded to live here forever. It's so relaxing and quiet here. I do think we should get baby furniture for both houses though. It would just be more practical than sending it back and forth every time we decide to go to the other house. I also think I may make a cradle for each house. I will make it the muggle way and before you say anything, yes I know what doing that involves. I have built things the muggle way before. Anyways, how does all of this sound to you?"

"It all sounds splendid, but when did you make things the muggle way and why were you doing it?"

"The summer after 6th year when I was under the Imperious Curse I was forced to build things the muggle way. It was my punishment for failing my mission and that is how the Dark Lord kept me busy. Father had escaped Azkaban by then so he was the overseer of my punishment. I made about a thousand bird feeders that summer. I hit my thumb with the hammer countless times and I still have scars from all the slivers that I got."

"You got slivers? Didn't they provide you with pre-sanded wood so that you wouldn't get them?"

"What is pre-sanded wood? I just assumed that everyone just went and cut down a tree when they wanted to build something."

"They made you cut down the tree all by yourself? Of all the irresponsible and rude-"

In the middle of her rant Hermione saw the smirk on Draco's face which only got her more irritated.

"Draco Abraxas Malfoy, are you telling me that you just made up the part about cutting down the tree by yourself?"

"Yes, but I didn't expect you to actually believe what I said! It just sounded so preposterous! Like I would ever cut down a tree, I'm a Malfoy!"

"So if you were lying about that, were you lying about the slivers as well?"

"No, I was actually telling the truth about those. They didn't make me cut down the tree by myself, but they didn't provide me with pre-sanded wood either. They made me do all the sanding by myself. I hit myself so many times because I was exhausted, I was building 24 hours a day with only an hour or two of sleep at night. I was fibbing about how many bird feeders I made though. I made about fifty of them a day for three days and then they moved me on to making wands. I still have one of them too!"

Hermione smiled at him and slapped him on the arm playfully.

"Oh Draco, what am I going to do with you?"

"Well, you could kiss me and tell me you love me and then we can go shopping."

Hermione gave him a kiss and then hit him upside the head playfully. Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door.

"Come on, let's go."

Hermione held Draco's hand as they walked through Paris. They looked into the windows of several posh boutiques but didn't go into any of them. It was just then that Hermione saw it. It was the perfect tuxedo for the men to wear in Harry's wedding. It was the classic black tux jacket and pants with the white shirt. The vest was what had attracted her to it. It was emerald green in color and had silver flecks running through it and the tie was also emerald green. It was a sharp tux and she thought it would look great on not only Draco, but the color would match Harry's eyes perfectly. She also knew that Ginny was looking into having the bridesmaids wear a similar shade of green. If it looked good on Draco, she knew it would be perfect.

"Draco, dear, how do you feel about that tux?"

"It looks uncomfortable, why do you ask?"

"I happen to think that you would look hot in that for Harry's wedding and I want you to get it and show it to him."

"Those are Slytherin colors though. Harry would never go for that one."

"I know they are Slytherin colors, Draco. That is the sole purpose of having the tux that way. Besides that, Harry was almost sorted into Slytherin and in case you haven't noticed, his eyes match the vest completely. Also, green is a color that demands respect and that is all Harry has ever wanted from everybody. If that explanation isn't enough though, would it help if I told you that it drives me mad when you wear green?"

"Oh it does?"

"Yes, it does and if I had my way it would be the only color you ever wore."

"What if I told you that I have green boxers on right now?"

"I'd have you show them to me discreetly and then I would kiss you… but I really want you to have that tux so it will have to wait for now."

"That suits me, I don't really want to give all of these people a peepshow…"

Hermione laughed softly.

"Ok, let's go get that tux."

"Can I at least try it on first?"

"Of course you are trying it on first you nerd! What did you think I was going to do, make you wear a tux that doesn't fit you? Man you're a nerd!"

"If I am a nerd what does that make you?"

"It makes me a geek."

"What is the difference between a nerd and a geek?"

"A geek is a person who spends a lot of time reading and using muggle computers whereas a nerd is a person who is always asking and/or saying a lot of silly things."

"I already knew that."

"If you already knew that then why did you ask what the difference was?"

"I asked because I wanted to hear you tell me what they meant in that beautiful voice of yours. Now, let's get this over with so that we can go and find some furniture for the baby's room and some clothes for you."

Hermione giggled.

"Okay, let's go Dorko."

Hermione took his hand and they walked into the store together.

"Hello, welcome to Sophisticated MensWare, may I help you find something today, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Actually, we want that tuxedo in the window, you know the one with the emerald green and silver vest."

"Ah yes, of course I know which one you mean. That is a very nice choice. Will you be trying it on today or just buying it and trying it at home?"

"He will be trying it on here."

"Very well, miss. I will go get the dressing room ready and the two of you can look around. Do you happen to know your measurements so that I can gather the tux?"

Hermione took out her wand and pointed it at Draco's back. She gave it a wave and a sheet of paper with his measurements appeared and she handed it to the saleslady.

"Thank you miss, I'll be back in just a few minutes. Feel free to look around while you wait!"

"Yes, Madame."

Hermione stayed close to Draco but let her eyes wander around the store. She noticed a clearance rack right in front of her so she decided to browse through its contents. She discovered a black sweater and a pair of pants that went well together and turned to show them to Draco.

"Draco, look what I found. I think this sweater and pair of pants would look pretty good on you."

Draco looked at the items she was holding up. The sweater was nice. It was made up a heavy black material the sort of resembled cashmere and it had green and grey stripes running through it. The pants were just a basic black but they had green stripes running down the legs which made them resemble the pants that he had seen muggle mail carriers wear and he let her know it.

"The stripes on the pants make them look like mail carrier pants but they are rather nice. How about I try this outfit on as well?"

"That sounds good to me Draco."

"Good. Now, will you come over to the other side of the store with me? I think I see something over there that I like and I would like you to tell me your opinion."

"I'll be glad to come over there with you, but you can go first because I have to do something quick, ok?"

"Alright, I'll see you over there in a minute."

Draco walked over to the rack of clothes that he had seen and picked up a green dress shirt and a pair of basic black dress pants. He looked over at where Hermione was bent down tying her shoes. He smiled at her as she stood back up and walked over to him. When she saw what he was looking at she got a huge grin on her face.

"Draco, that shirt is absolutely fabulous, you must get it! That pair of pants are great too!"

Hermione started looking at the rest of the clothes on the rack and found another dress shirt that she liked as well. It was in a different color but she liked it anyways.

"Draco, I like this shirt but what do you think about it?"

"I think that it is blue."

"I know that it's blue, silly. What I want to know is if you like it. I know what I said earlier about how you would only wear green if I had my way, but after seeing this shirt I think I could be persuaded to change my mind. So what do you think?"

"If you like the shirt then I like it too, love."

At that moment the saleslady walked over to them.

"Alright Mr. Malfoy, your dressing room is ready. Oh, I see that you have found more clothes, would you like to try it on?"

"Yes, that would be great."

"Alright, well if you are finished looking around I will show you to your dressing room. If you still need more time then you are the first room on the right hand side."

"I think we are done looking so we will follow you now."

"That's great, follow me."

Hermione followed the two of them to the dressing room and was about to follow Draco into the little cubicle but the saleslady got in her way.

"Here you are, sir. Miss, would you like a chair to sit on out here while your boyfriend is in there trying his clothes on?"

Hermione opened her mouth to answer but Draco beat her to it.

"No, my _wife_ will be coming in here with me to help with the tux. Thank you for the offer though."

"No problem sir and I am sorry about the mix-up. I didn't realize that you had gotten married."

"It's quite ok, Madame."

"Alright Mr. Malfoy, take your time."

Hermione giggled as she heard her husband mumble 'don't worry, I will' under his breath as he looked at her. As the woman walked away Hermione looked at him with questions in her eyes.

"How did she know that you were a Malfoy, Draco?"

"My father dragged me into this store quite frequently when we were here so that he could buy himself new suits. He also liked to flirt with her and I don't think I want to know what else they did. The only thing he ever told me is that he showed her something that would make it so she would never forget who the Malfoy's were. I assume that he showed her a good time if you get my drift."

Hermione cringed.

"You mean he slept with her? What a slime ball."

Draco laughed.

"You really think my father would sleep with a muggle? That's a good one. No, I think he probably gave her the Crucio a couple of times and left. He never came back here after he told me that piece of information. Besides that, Malfoy's are always loyal to their wives. He loved mother too much to sleep around on her."

"Oh, right. Anyways, you might as well start trying things on so we can get out of here."

"Right you are love."

Draco pulled his shirt over his head and took the white tux shirt off of the hanger. The saleslady had already unbuttoned it so he put it on and looked down at all the buttons and then back up at Hermione with his trademark smirk.

"Hermione, would you care to help me button up these buttons? I'm not too good with muggle buttons, you know. If you help me then you can help me take it off afterwards."

"Why Draco Malfoy, you are looking for a way to have your way with me in this store aren't you?"

"Yes, right under that twit's nose. She's so stupid I am surprised that they allow her to own her own store. You have to admit that it sounds intriguing to make love in a store during the day right under a salesperson's nose."

"I have to admit that it does sound like fun but there is a security camera hanging right over our heads."

"That sounds even more exciting. The poor souls working security on this store would probably find it quite enjoyable to see some action for once. You are probably right though, it would be creepy knowing somebody was watching us."

my knickers down a little. That is all we would have to do. Anyw

"Well, we could be discreet about things. You could put me against the wall and take it out of your boxers and I could hike up my skirt and pull ays, let me help you button up that shirt."

Hermione stepped toward Draco and started buttoning the shirt, all the while looking him straight in the eye. As she was buttoning, she got a smirk on her face which told Draco that she was up to something. He found out what she was up to when he felt her hands moving to his belt buckle.

"Here, let me help you with these pants. I don't want you to wrinkle the shirt."

Draco smirked as her hands manipulated his belt buckle until it was undone and ripped the belt out of its loops. Her hands then started unzipping his fly and pulling his pants down. Hermione took the tuxedo pants off of the hanger as Draco stepped out of his pants. She held the pants out, Draco stepped into them and she pulled them up and fastened the button and zipped the fly, but not before tucking the shirt in. Hermione then proceeded to take the tie and tie it around his neck loosely which was followed by Draco slipping on the vest and Hermione buttoning it up. Finally it came time to put the jacket on. Draco slipped it on and Hermione buttoned the three buttons on the front. After fastening the last button she made sure it all was straight and looked clean. She then stepped back and checked out her work. Hermione gasped at the sight before her. The tux brought out the sparkle in his silvery blue eyes as well as the features of his pointed face. It made him look more prominent than he had ever looked before. He looked like a true Malfoy. His face looked a little paler than usual in the black tux, but his paleness was what made him so handsome. Draco was stumped at what Hermione could have been gasping at but refrained from asking because of the look of lust that was beginning to show on her face.

"Draco, you look amazing. I knew you would look good in this tux, but I didn't ever imagine this. This tuxedo was made for you Draco. You have to get it."

"Judging by the way you are looking at me right now I can tell that every single word of that is the truth. You look like you are about to pounce on me like a lion would pounce on its prey. I think I will definitely be buying this tux. If Harry doesn't want this tux for the wedding I think I may just have to wear it to drive you mad every once in a while. Anyways, now comes the fun part of taking it off without getting it wrinkled, right love?"

"Uh, yes of course. God Draco, I could look at you in this forever."

"But that would be bad because then we wouldn't get to go look for baby furniture and clothes. Besides, you would rather see me naked right?"

"If you only knew, Draco Malfoy, if you only knew."

Draco thought his heart was going to beat right out of his chest as Hermione started walking across the tiny cubicle toward him. She had lust in her eyes and all he could think about was taking her right there in that dressing room.

'Come on Malfoy, it's just a security camera and she wants you just as much as you want her.'

"I can't."

"You can't what? Is something wrong Draco?"

"Nothing is wrong… I was just talking to myself again. I was telling my mind to shut up."

"Are you sure that it is your mind, it could be your hormones."

"My hormones?"

"Yes, I see the look on your face, you want me as much as I want you."

"What happened to not wrinkling the tux?"

"Forget about that absurd claim, I can fix it with magic."

Hermione closed the gap between the two of them and shoved Draco against the wall. She kissed him with such ferocity that Draco had to stifle a moan. Hermione bent down slowly and started undoing the fly on Draco's pants with her teeth. She unbuttoned the top button after that and pulled the pants off of him right along with his boxers. What she did next stunned Draco more than anything she had ever done. She pulled out her wand, which she had transfigured into a tube of lipstick, and waved it at the camera while murmuring a privacy spell under her breath. She then transfigured a chair into a twin size bed. She then pulled off her skirt and Draco saw that she had not been wearing any underwear which shocked him even more. She threw Draco onto the bed and straddled him, making sure she was over his member. Draco lay there moaning in pleasure and decided that it was his turn to be in control. After all, he was a Malfoy and Malfoy's never gave up control to anybody. He admitted that he liked being dominated, but he wasn't in the mood for it right now so he flipped her over gently without breaking contact and Hermione moaned. Draco pulled her shirt up and ran his fingers over her skin before bending and kissing her belly. He began pumping into her gently and before he knew it they were both collapsing in their own powerful orgasms. After she had finished coming down from the monumental high, Hermione looked at Draco and smiled. She kissed him on the forehead and pushed him off of her gently. She got off of the bed and put her skirt on and reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of panties. Draco soon followed suit and pulled on his own skivvies. Hermione turned the bed back into a chair and re-enabled the security camera as Draco was pulling on a pair of black dress pants and did them up. He then took off the tux jacket, vest, shirt and tie and hung them back up. He then took the blue dress shirt that Hermione had picked out and put it on. He tucked it into his pants and turned to Hermione.

"How do I look?"

"I love it, Draco. You should wear blue more often."

Draco smiled and took the shirt off. He hung it back up and put it with the tux. He then put on the green dress shirt and buttoned it.

"How does this shirt look love?"

"It looks perfect, I love it."

"Do you like it more than the blue?"

"Not in your life, mister. I like both shirts the same."

"Ok, how do you like the pants though?"

"They look great. Ok, on with the other outfit and hang the tuxedo pants up."

"Yes boss."

Hermione laughed.

"I just don't want the pants to get wrinkled. Actually, give them here and I will hang them back up that way you can put that other outfit on. Come on now, chop chop. I want to get to the baby store before it closes."

Draco handed her the pants and their hanger. He then took the outfit he had on and passed it to her along with the hangers. Draco slid into the mail carrier pants and buttoned them. He looked into the mirror and frowned. They were nice pants but they did nothing for him like the others had. He shrugged and pulled on the sweater thinking that it would make a difference but it didn't. He just didn't care for the outfit on him. Hermione looked at him and told him to turn around.

"Hmm… I don't think I like this outfit as much as I liked the other ones. What are your feelings about this dear?"

"I feel the same way. Can I get into my regular clothes now?"

"Yes, of course. So we're putting this outfit back and keeping the rest, right?"

"Yes."

"Great, I'll go pay for this stuff and you can get dressed."

"No, I'll pay for it love."

"But they only take muggle money Draco and I have mum and dad's checks."

"Yes, I know about the muggle money thing Hermione, but father had a muggle checking account as well and it has millions of dollars in it just sitting there collecting interest. We might as well use a little bit of it, right?"

Hermione smiled in spite of herself.

"I guess you are right, but I am buying you this blue shirt and some of my clothes."

"Aye-aye captain."

"Ok, well, I'll meet you out there in a minute."

"Alright love."

Hermione paid for the shirt and waited patiently for Draco as he changed and paid for the two outfits they had picked out together. After he had paid and received his packages he took Hermione's hand and they walked outside back into the streets of Paris.

**A/N: I'm sorry it took so long to put this up. I had six pages of the chapter all written out on Saturday and was getting ready to save it and had it on the save screen but my 3 ½ year old son came in and pressed cancel and closed the word document and it all got erased. I was peeved, but he didn't know what he was doing. Anyways, thanks for reading and please review if you get a chance. Only three more chapters that are pre-written. **


	16. Everything That's Precious

**A/N: I own nothing except the plot! the characters belong solely to JK Rowling as does Malfoy Manor, Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, Grimmauld Place and Hogsmeade. **

**Chapter 16**

**Everything that's Precious**

Hermione and Draco continued walking down the sidewalk for what seemed like forever. All of a sudden a small sign popped out at Draco. It said 'Everything that's Precious: Baby and toddler furniture/maternity clothes/baby clothes/books and more!' Draco walked over to the store window and looked in. He then turned to Hermione and motioned for her to come to him.

"Hermione, I think this is the store that we have been looking for. It has everything we need. Let's go in!"

Hermione allowed Draco to pull her into the seemingly little shop, but upon entering she found the store to be rather large and everything in the store was just exquisite. She walked over to a sleigh crib that was made out of cherry wood. The crib was so beautiful that she couldn't help but want it.

"Draco, I like this one but do you like it?"

"I think it is absolutely perfect."

"Oh look, Draco. It has a matching dresser/changing table combo that you can get to go along with it."

"Yes, I can see that. Would you like to get this set Hermione?"

"Oh yes, Draco."

"One set or two?"

"Let's get both in this color, unless you see something different that you like."

"No, this is absolutely perfect. Let's go pick out some clothes for you. I see a green dress that I bet would look beautiful on you and there are some nice pant suits and skirts and shirts over there as well."

Draco dropped his voice down to a mere whisper.

"There is lingerie over there too."

Hermione laughed and poked Draco in the ribs causing him to jump back in shock.

"Are we a little ticklish, Draco?"

"What gave you that idea?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it is just the way you jumped back like that."

Draco smirked.

"Maybe I am ticklish but I'm not telling."

Hermione giggled.

"Draco, you are crazy but I love you anyways."

"Are you calling me crazy, Mrs. Malfoy?"

"Why yes I am Mr. Malfoy. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, not at all because I admit that I am crazy. I am crazy about you and I am crazy about how even though you were in Gryffindor you have some of the very same characteristics that put me in Slytherin."

"I have these characteristics because you bring them out in me. When I am with you I can't help but act the way I do. You've been a bad influence on me, Mr. Malfoy, but I would not change it for the world."

"I'm glad to hear that, now let's get you some clothes to try on."

After picking some clothes out and trying it on, Hermione ended up with the emerald green dress, 4 kimono shirts in pink, purple, baby blue and teal, 4 pairs of maternity pants(none of them had the ugly belly pouch) and a couple of skirts. Draco also picked out some fancy bras and underwear for her as well as a couple of sexy silk nightgowns. She liked all the stuff she had picked out, but she felt like she was forgetting something.

"Draco, do you think I should get some formal stuff as well?"

"That is a good idea, how about that black and green number as well as the red and gold one? There is also a kimono dress over there that I like. Do you see the lilac one with the flowers on it? I believe that it is imported from China and it is 100 silk. What do you think?"

"I think that I should get them because you never know when you are going to get invited to a formal dinner party. Ok, should we go and find some baby accessories or wait until we find out what the baby is first?"

"Let's wait to get that stuff until we know for sure what we are having."

"Ok, let's go buy all of this stuff then."

"Alright, but I have to get the purchase tickets for the two sets of furniture so hang on a second."

Draco grabbed two slips for the crib and two slips for the dresser/changing table. He and Hermione then took their stuff over to the cash register and paid for everything. The sales lady at this store was very friendly and actually acted like she had a brain.

"Would you like your cribs and changing tables delivered or are you going to take them with you now?"

"We would like delivery please. The address is 629 South Paris Road."

"Alright then, when would you like them delivered? Is tomorrow between 10 am and 1 pm ok with you?"

"Hermione, does that work?"

"Yes, darling, that works fine."

The saleslady looked at the couple in awe. She had never seen a cuter couple before. She had seen an abundance of women come in with their husband's but they were always cranky towards each other. Draco and Hermione were a nice change in pace.

"OK, well since that works for you, you'll have your furniture by 1 tomorrow. Before you go, I just want to say that it is nice to finally see a couple who is so in love."

Hermione smiled at the woman.

"Well, it took us a long time to get here. The two of us hated each other with a passion for 7 years before we admitted that we had feelings towards each other. We have only been married for four months now so we're still in the honeymoon stage, but I am hoping that it lasts forever."

"Well, I hope you do stay in it forever. If you don't mind me asking, how far along are you?"

"I am almost two months along. This is our first child and we couldn't be more thrilled about it. Anyways, we had better get going now, we have other places to go before we go home and it is getting late. Good day, Ma'am."

"Good day to you as well and come back and shop with us again if you have a chance."

"Oh, we will definitely be back when we find out the sex of the baby. Good bye."

Draco and Hermione stepped out of the little shop onto the sidewalk. Draco looked at her and smirked.

"My my, don't you sound like the spoiled little rich girl now. You are really a true Malfoy now that you can gloat about having better places to be than in a shop talking to a woman prying into your personal life."

"That is an awful thing to say, Draco Malfoy, but you are absolutely right. I'm not poor any more, we are the richest Wizards in England, am I right?"

"Yes, you are right. We are also known to be the fourth richest Wizarding family in the world. However, this doesn't mean that you have to give up Harry and Ginny. I have grown to like them as well and Harry is quite rich himself. In fact, I believe that the whole Weasley clan has taken a liking to me except for their mentally unstable member who is in St. Mungo's."

"Yes, all of them do like you and I wouldn't give up Harry and Ginny if you paid me to. I couldn't care less about Weasley and whether he likes you or not, I never want to see him again in my lifetime. Anyways, I know I told that lady we had other places to be, but can we go back to the house now? I am exhausted and I think I need a nap."

"You and I both need a nap. Come on, let's go find an empty alley and apparate home."

**A/N: Please review if you have the time, i want to know how you like it. i will have the next chapter up as soon as possible. sorry it took a while to get this put up, but yesterday was thanksgiving here in the states and a really good friend of mine came home for the holiday so i have been hanging out with her lately. the next chapter won't be very long and the one after that is the last pre-written one i have so you may have to wait a while longer between chapters but it won't be any more than a week at the most! have a good night everyone and i look forward to reading some reviews in the near future. (hint hint hint, i have only gotten four so far and i have posted 16 chapters!) lol. anyways, i'll post again soon!**


	17. Home Again

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 17**

**Home Again**

The rest of the evening was spent at the house. Hermione took quite a long nap and Draco spent a portion of the time lying with her. Upon waking up, she found him lying on his side staring at her. She blushed, knowing that she sometimes talked in her sleep and who knew how long he had been watching her sleep.

"Hey, welcome back to the world, love. Did you have a good nap?"

"Yes I had a great nap. How long have you been watching me sleep though?"

"Not too long, I've got dinner waiting for us downstairs. It's not much, but I thought you must be hungry because I know I am."

"Mmm, I am hungry, but I am also still so tired. Today really knocked me out, it must have been all the shopping and other stuff that we did before and during our shopping trip. At least we got some nice things though."

"Yes, we did. Anyways, why don't I go get dinner and bring it up here? We can eat in bed tonight."

"Ok, but first can you tell me what time it is?"

"It is almost 9:30."

"Wow, I slept a long time, but I could go right back to sleep."

"Well, we can do just that right after dinner, only I have something to give to you first."

"Alright."

"I'll go get the food and your surprise. I'll be right back."

Draco turned and walked out of the room. They had been married for nearly five months now but they still didn't have their wedding rings. Draco had insisted on waiting until he found the perfect ones and he wanted to pick them out and make them a surprise. Well, today he had found the perfect rings. They didn't look like traditional wedding rings, but they were perfect anyways. He had seen them in the window of a jewelry store not far from the house. Hermione's ring had a three karat Marquises diamond surrounded by many emeralds and rubies which were all set into a platinum gold band. It was the most beautiful ring he had ever seen. The band that went with it was a classic one that had little emeralds and rubies around the whole thing. Draco's wedding band was the same as hers. It was a unique set of rings as it was the only set that had been made of its sort. They hadn't been easy to persuade the shop's owner to sell them to him, but in the end he had gotten the man to see things his way and finally bought them for a little over a million dollars. It was all worth it to him because it symbolized old enemies coming together as man and wife despite what other's thought about it. He had seen the rings that afternoon, but he couldn't have went and gotten them when she was there so he went while she was still sleeping and bought dinner on the way back.

Draco picked up the tray of food and carried it to the bedroom. He picked up the velvet boxes that the rings had come in and set them down on Hermione's lap. He then set the tray down on the bed and sat down beside her on the bed's edge.

"Open the boxes, darling."

Hermione looked at the box and gasped. At long last, Draco had finally picked out their rings. She opened the first box and her jaw dropped. It was a massive ring, but it was so beautiful. She handed the ring to Draco and he placed it on her ring finger. She then opened the second box and gasped again at her wedding band. It had the same rubies and emeralds, only in smaller versions. She handed that to Draco as well and he placed it on her finger in front of the "engagement" ring. After this, she opened the third box and tears started streaming down her face as she realized that it was Draco's wedding band and it perfectly resembled her own. She placed it on his finger and pulled him to her in a hug and kissed him. Draco looked up at her and wiped the tears from her face. He smiled at her and kissed her again.

"Hermione, I finally found our perfect rings and I hope you like them as much as I do."

"Like them? Oh Draco, I love them and I love you. Thank you so much for these, they are so beautiful."

"They are beautiful, but not as beautiful as you. I love you Hermione Malfoy."

"I love you too, Draco Malfoy."

Draco leaned in and kissed her on the forehead.

"Come on, let's eat and get some sleep, we have another long day tomorrow. The next day will be long too."

**The Next Day**

Draco woke up at 8 am and showered and got dressed. He then went and fixed breakfast for himself and a tray for Hermione. He ate his food quickly and took Hermione her food.

"Morning love, it's time to wake up."

"It's morning already? I must have really been out cold."

"You were, but the furniture people could be here in less than an hour so I thought you would like to be up and ready when they got here."

"Yes, you are right. I think I am going to wait to take a shower until later though. I'll just put on some jogging pants and a shirt for now and shower after the furniture comes."

"Sounds like a plan to me, but hey, I am going to go and make room for everything. I'll be back in a while. Enjoy your breakfast love."

"Thanks Draco."

Hermione sat up in bed and looked at the breakfast Draco had put together for her. There was oatmeal with brown sugar and cream, toast and jam, a banana, and orange juice to drink. It all looked so delicious. Too bad it all made her want to throw up just looking at it. Finally, after a few minutes of looking at the food she took a tiny bite of toast and decided that it tasted good so she took another bite. She chewed and swallowed and as she went to take another bite her eyes fell on her wedding rings that Draco had given her. They were so beautiful and unique. She had never seen anything like them before in her life. After several minutes of daydreaming, she finally had an appetite and ate the remainder of her breakfast. She picked up her wand, sent the dishes down to the kitchen, and got dressed. Then she went to find Draco.

Draco flicked his wand one final time and the last of the furniture vanished from the room. The room was quite large and he thought that it would work great as the baby's room. He just hoped that Hermione would agree. Hermione walked into the room where Draco was standing and looked around. It was the perfect room for the baby. There was just enough light to be able to see without turning a light on, but not so much that it would blind the baby in the morning. Hermione turned to Draco and smiled at him.

"Draco, this room is perfect."

"I was hoping you would like it. This was my room when I was younger but now that my parents are gone we get the master suite. In that case, I thought we would give the baby this room."

"Well you made a good choice, it's perfect."

At that moment the doorbell rang and Draco started down the stairs to see who it was. Hermione looked out the window and yelled down to Draco.

"I think the furniture is here darling."

"Yes, I know. That is why I am going to answer the door, silly."

Draco went to the door and opened it. Sure enough, there were the delivery men with their furniture.

"Are you Mr. Malfoy?"

"Yes, that's me."

"We've got two cribs and two dressing tables here for you. Where would you like us to put them?"

"Up the steps, second door on the left hand side please."

"No problem, we'll be in with your stuff shortly."

The delivery man walked out to his truck and Draco went back to the baby's room. He looked around and sighed. He never thought he could be this happy. He felt like a whole different person than he used to be.

"Ok sir, here is your furniture. Enjoy!"

"Oh, we most definitely will, thank you."

Draco took twenty dollars out of his pocket and gave it to the delivery man.

"Here you go, this is for delivering everything early."

"Wow, thank you sir."

"You are most welcome."

The delivery man turned and left. Draco turned to Hermione and wrapped his arms around her.

"Can I just put the furniture together with magic love?"

"If you would like to you can. Are we sending the other crib to the Manor?"

"Yes, in fact I was just about to do that."

"Ok then, you do that and I am going to go take a shower. Have fun."

"Oh I will have fun. You enjoy your shower love. I will be in here when you are through if you wish to find me."

"Alright dear."

Hermione gave Draco a kiss and walked out of the room. She went into the bathroom and took off her clothing. She had just stepped into the shower when she heard yelling coming from the baby's room. Curious, she pulled the robe on that was hanging from the door and went to see what was going on.

"Draco, is everything alright in here?"

"Yes love, I decided to put the crib together the muggle way though and I pinched my finger in the rail thingy."

"I see. Well, I am going back to my shower now."

Hermione walked out of the room and Draco went back to putting the crib together. He couldn't believe how embarrassed he had felt about pinching his finger in the crib rail. Oh well, at least he only had one more rail to put on and then he was done putting it together and could put the mattress in the crib. After he was done with this job he was putting the changing table together with magic.

Hermione walked into the baby's room where she heard Draco muttering spells to put the changing table together. By the time she was next to him, he had finished and was standing back to view his work.

"It looks beautiful, Draco. You did an excellent job of putting it together."

"Of course I did, I am a Malfoy. Malfoy's are the best at putting things together. Speaking of putting things together, I like how you put that outfit together."

Hermione looked down at her clothes. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans and one of Draco's old green school shirts with the Slytherin logo on it. She chuckled lightly and looked back up at her husband.

"I thought you would like it. I found this shirt in the closet in here when you went to answer the door."

"Well, my shirt makes you look even more beautiful. I like green on you even more than red and you look HOT in red."

Draco pulled Hermione into a hug and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"How about we go to lunch and do a little more shopping before we go back to the Manor? We will be home for dinner. How does that sound?"

"Lovely, let's go."

**A/N: Ok, here you go! The next chapter! Enjoy and review if you get a chance, please and thank you! Good night all! I'll update more soon!**


	18. Lunch

**A/N: I own nothing!**

**Chapter 18**

**Lunch**

Draco led Hermione into the little café where he had spent so much time in previous years while his family was in Paris. He knew the whole staff as a result and they knew almost everything about him except for the fact that he was a wizard and had been a supporter of one of the most evil creatures of all time. They all knew that he had feelings for Hermione for many years, but they also knew that the two were enemies. The staff had encouraged him to be nicer to her, but like a fool he didn't listen to them. He had been too stubborn to do it and besides, they all knew that he would have been going against his father. Nobody went against his father's wishes and got away with it. They had all met Lucius Malfoy one day when he had come in to get Draco. They had been in shock at his coldness towards his own boy and the rest of the world. It was almost like he thought himself to be better than everyone else around him. Little did the people know that he did think himself to be a better person. He was no normal human; he was a pureblood wizard and proud of it, even if Draco no longer was. Draco walked up to the counter and waited to be seated. The greeter took one look at him and smiled.

"Hey Draco! How are you doing this fine day and what are you doing in Paris? I thought your father only brought you here in the summer."

"Mother and father are gone now. I came to Paris with my wife so that we could buy some baby furniture."

The man finally seemed to notice Hermione and looked from her to Draco then back at her.

"How are you today Madame?"

"I am great, sir, how about yourself?"

"I'm splendid! Draco she looks just like that girl in the picture you showed us! You know the one I am talking about, that girl from school that you liked so much but were forbidden to be with."

"Ted, this is Hermione Malfoy. If she looks like the girl in the picture it is because it is her."

Hermione stood there and looked at him in confusion.

"You showed them a picture of me? How did you get a picture of me without my knowing you took it?"

"I saw Collin Creevy taking a picture of you and Viktor Krum together before Krum left and I approached him about it later and bought one from him."

Hermione smiled at him.

"I guess it is ok then, but next time ask me before you show my picture to anyone please."

"There won't be a next time because now I have you in person."

Ted, who had been standing there in shock, finally stopped gaping at Hermione and smiled.

"It is great to meet you at last, Hermione. I've been hearing about you since this young man started going to school with you. He was so smitten by you but he didn't know what to do about it. Anyways, I'm sorry about your folks Draco."

"Thank you Ted, it was a shock the first night they were gone, but if it hadn't been for them dying I wouldn't be married to Hermione today and be expecting a child with her."

"Congratulations on the marriage and the baby then. Shall I seat you now?"

"Please, I am starving."

The man led them to their table and as they were sitting down he was telling them the specials.

"Our specials today are Fish and Chips, grilled salmon, and your favorite, Mr. Malfoy, Shrimp Alfredo. Can I get you something to drink to start off with while you look at your menus?"

"I will take water with lemon please."

"I will take lemonade."

Ted smiled and walked away to get the drinks and was back within thirty seconds. He set the drinks down and both Draco and Hermione told him that they already knew what they wanted to eat. Both of them ordered the Shrimp Alfredo. Draco smiled across the table at Hermione who was sipping her lemonade.

"You like lemonade a lot, love?"

"Yes, it is my favorite drink in the world. Mum made it homemade all the time. She loved cooking when she wasn't at the office working."

"Hey, what happened to your parent's dental practice when you took them to Australia?"

"I put a sign on the door that said 'Closed due to black mold'."

Draco chuckled to himself.

"Why weren't you in Slytherin, Hermione? You certainly seem to think and act like one at times."

"It's probably because I am a muggle-born. Everyone knows that Slytherin is only made up of purebloods and half bloods. Salazar Slytherin hated muggle-borns."

"I don't know why it matters so much to people. You were the best witch or wizard Hogwarts ever saw. You were born to be there. Most muggle born wizards are better because they don't take their gifts for granted and they actually study wizardry thoroughly while we purebloods think we know all there is to know already because we grew up with wizards as parents and learned from them."

"Maybe I should have been in that house, but I don't know if I would have done well in Slytherin. I probably would have killed Crabbe and Goyle within a half hour of meeting them. Those two were such dunderheads, how did you put up with them for seven years?"

"I put up with them because they were good bodyguards when they weren't too busy stuffing their faces with food. Besides that, they weren't as bad as… Parkinson?"

Hermione looked up at Draco with a look of confusion but froze when she saw the smirking face of none other than Pansy Parkinson who was being followed by Blaise Zabini.

"Parkinson, what the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you, Drakie-poo. Where have you been? We have been looking for you for months. Why didn't you tell us you were coming here, we would have come with you."

"Well Pansy, did you ever think that I didn't tell you because I want nothing to do with you? Blaise, that doesn't include you."

Pansy smirked and seductively put her hand on Draco's chest. He immediately swiped the hand away.

"Oh come on now, Drakie, don't act this way."

"Don't touch me and don't you ever call me 'Drakie' again you blonde twit! You never could take a hint could you? I have never, nor will I ever, felt any feelings toward you except for disgust."

"What the hell is your problem, Malfoy?"

"My problem, Parkinson, is that nobody ever asked what I wanted and now I have it and she is sitting right here if you hadn't noticed!"

Pansy turned and gaped stupidly at Draco's companion and then sneered.

"Granger? The filthy Mudblood Granger? You have got to be kidding me! Please tell me you are not serious! Blaise!"

"Hey, I always knew he was sweet on her, I'm not surprised at all Pansy, so why are you?"

"SHE'S A MUDBLOOD!"

Draco flew out of his chair, whipped out his wand and jabbed it into Pansy's throat.

"That's the last time anybody ever calls my wife by that awful name. Get out of my sight you cow and don't ever come near me again. Blaise, would you like to sit?"

"Uh, sure I guess."

Pansy stomped away and Hermione sat in her chair with her eyebrows puckered in amusement. Zabini sat down cautiously and smiled slightly at Hermione when she smiled at him.

"So Blaise, how have things been with you?"

"Well, they are better now that she is gone. She was driving me bonkers Draco! But anyways, this is where you escaped to, huh?"

"Actually, Harry saved me when my parents were killed and Hermione and I got together then. We have been married for almost five months now and we are expecting a baby in 8 months."

"Congratulations man. I am sorry about your parents though, it is awful what happened to them."

"Thank you. I miss mother more than father because she actually cared about what happened to me. Anyways, you would be amused to hear what I found out about my wife."

"Like what?"

"Let's just say that she should have been in Slytherin instead of Gryffindor."

"Uh hello, I am sitting right here you two."

Draco smiled at her and she smirked back at him.

"He only likes me for my cunning attitude."

"No I don't!" Draco protested with laughter.

Blaise nodded his head with a smile on his face.

"You two are a trip. Hermione, what makes him say such things about you? You seemed so innocent in school."

"Ah, I was but I wasn't. I was behind almost every one of Harry's little escapades. Actually, I was the brains behind them. Without my guidance he would have gotten caught every time. I also brewed Polyjuice Potion in second year, stole from Snape's personal supply closet, and attacked Weasley with a flock of conjured birds. He is such a prat."

"Whoa, you're calling him Weasley now?"

"Of course I am, he tried attacking Draco twice and he called me a slut. I don't put up with things like that."

"But you put up with Draco when he called you so many horrible names at school."

"Yes I did most of the time, but the thing is I saw past the horrible things he said and loved him even when I was sure he could never feel the same way about me. I did let myself get angry at him once though and I punched him. I found out when he got to Harry's that he felt the same way about me all along though. Besides that, Weasley landed himself in St. Mungo's when I announced my pregnancy. He attacked Draco on that occasion and also when we announced that we were getting married. He refused to go to the wedding at all and kept destroying things at Harry's house. The attack when we announced the pregnancy was the tip of the iceberg. His mother took him to the hospital that night and I haven't heard anything about him since then. I say good riddance to old rubbish."

"Whoa, I always knew that guy was a bit unhinged, but not that much. Anyways, Draco is right, you should have been in our house. If you had been the two of you could have been together a lot sooner. I have just one question for you though Hermione, how did you feel when you found out he was a death eater?"

"I felt crushed, worried and scared but I was almost certain that it was not what he wanted."

"You have that right, doesn't she Draco."

"Yes, Blaise."

"Anyways, I have to be going now. It was great seeing you both."

"Yes it was good seeing you too Blaise. I expect Pansy will leave me alone now, but you can come by any time you want to. We will be living in the house here for a while, but please don't tell anyone about where we are. You were one of the few Slytherin's who did not side with Voldemort and I don't want reminders of what I almost became, I just want to be happy."

"And you will be mate. I'll be in touch. I'm out."

Blaise smiled and walked away, happy for Draco and Hermione, angry at Pansy, and went back to his house to spend some time with his own wife, Lavender Brown, another Gryffindor who he found to have many similarities to the Slytherin's.

**Back at the café**

Draco was just finishing his shrimp alfredo as Hermione jumped up and ran to the bathroom. The food had not agreed with her and she felt horrible. She felt so week and so dizzy…

After 20 minutes, Draco was worried about his wife so he paid the bill and asked if he could go and check on her. Ted gave the ok so he went in the bathroom and found Hermione lying on the floor passed out. Panicked, he grabbed her and lifted her into his arms and apparated out to London at the entrance to St. Mungo's.

**A/N: pregnancies last 40 weeks which in technical terms is 10 months. She is almost two months along so 8 months are left.**

**Also, Draco didn't worry about Hermione until 20 minutes had passed because she was often in the bathroom for about 10-15 minutes at home when she was experiencing sickness.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review if you have the time. Only one more pre-written chapter to go and then I have to start writing again. Have a good day everyone.**


	19. The Hospital

**A/N: I own nothing except for the plot!**

**Chapter 19**

**The Hospital**

Draco rushed through the entrance of St. Mungo's and ran to the reception desk. The woman behind the counter didn't even look up at first. Instead she just greeted him.

"How may I help you?"

The woman looked up and turned deathly pale.

"Oh my, let me go get a healer!"

The receptionist raced off and returned just seconds later with none other than Healer Smythwyc.

"Hello Mr. Malfoy. Oh no, what happened to her Draco? Follow me quickly!"

"We were eating at a café in Paris and I was finishing my lunch and she got up and ran for the bathroom. I assumed she just went in there to throw up, but 20 minutes later she still hadn't come back to the table and I was worried so I paid for the food and went into the bathroom to make sure she was alright. When I went in the bathroom she was lying on the floor passed out so I apparated here immediately."

"I'm glad you did, Draco, she is pretty sick. She is dehydrated and she has probably worn herself out too much. I suppose she told you about the baby by now?"

"Yes, she told me the day she found out. We were in Paris picking furniture out for the baby's room. We left yesterday and were planning on coming back right before dinner so we could be here for her appointment with you tomorrow."

"Ok, well I am going to check for the baby's heartbeat now and then we will get your wife hydrated and see about waking her up."

The healer pointed her wand at Hermione's abdomen and gasped.

"Draco, I don't know how to tell you this, but I have to."

"Is everything ok?"

"Everything is fine, but Hermione is having twins and it seems that they are already manifesting magical powers. These pregnancies are extremely rare but they are already dangerous. Most children do not exhibit magical abilities until the age of 8, but those who come from powerful parents like you and Hermione can begin doing it, though usually undetected, in the womb. It appears that your children are the 1 in 1,000,000 who get their abilities in the womb."

"How dangerous is it?"

"Well, let's just say that Hermione has been stupefied. Now, stand back while I bring her back."

The healer said the counter-curse and Hermione's eyes opened up slowly and she looked around the hospital cubical in confusion.

"Draco, where am I and what happened?"

"Shhh, it's all going to be ok love. It seems that our children have already gained their magical abilities and accidentally stupefied you. I found you out cold in the bathroom at the café."

"Draco, did you just say children?"

"Yes, I did. We are going to have twins."

"TWINS!? How on earth did that happen?"

"It's called sex. The sperm fertilizes the egg and a baby is made and in some cases two are made."

"Shut up you git, I know how I got pregnant, I just want to know how we could be having twins and how they already know magic! I don't understand!"

"Draco, I think your wife is in shock. Why don't you let me explain this all to her, ok?"

"Be my guest."

"Hermione, about one in every million unborn wizarding children gain their magical abilities while still in the womb. This usually happens when two people of great power get together and conceive children. You are the one in a million. Your children stupefied you to slow you down. With this condition you cannot wear yourself down the way you obviously have been doing. You are severely dehydrated and you look terribly worn out. I have no choice but to limit you to two days a week of going out. One of these days will be to come see me and then you will go straight back home. I want you to come and see me at least once a week from now on."

"Healer Smythwyc, Draco and I were going to go and live in Paris for a while and I am helping Ginny plan her wedding. How can I do that if I have to see you once a week?"

"Hermione, you can still do both of those things. Draco, your home in Paris has a fireplace in it, right?"

"Yes it does."

"Is it connected to the floo network?"

"Yes it is."

"Then after you move there I shall floo to see you and Ginny can come to you for planning her wedding. I do want you to get plenty of sleep though and there will be no worrying or stressing. When it comes time for Ginny's wedding I will loosen the restrictions a little but for now I want you to do as I say and get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids and just be good to yourself. Now, here is a hydrating potion. Drink it up and you can go. I'll see you in my office in a week. Here's your appointment card. I've already scheduled you in and cancelled you for tomorrow. Do you have any questions?"

Draco immediately looked up and grinned.

"When will we know whether the babies are boys or girls?"

"I can look now if you want me to. Do you want that Hermione?"

"Oh yes, please."

"Ok then, here we go… Hmm, interesting."

"What is interesting?"

"Hermione, it is interesting that you are having a boy and a girl. I say it is interesting because of the fact that this phenomenon usually only happens in single births and when it happens in cases where there are twins the babies are almost always identical twin boys. There is the notion that there could be another baby, but I would have seen the heartbeat… nevertheless, I will check for you."

The healer once again checked the heartbeats.

"Well, I was correct. There are only two babies and now I can tell you the statistics of your pregnancy. There are only 3 other documented cases like yours. The first case was Salazar Slytherin. You never hear of his sister because she was killed along with the rest of his family when he was still young. The second documented case was the case of Morfin and Merope Gaunt. Now many people don't know this but she…"

"She was Voldemort's mother."

"Yes, she was and it is believed that even though the father was a muggle she was a mother of magically charged twins, but the daughter died right along with her. However, that theory cannot be proved because of the fact that she gave birth in a muggle orphanage and all records of her presence there were destroyed along with the building and died with the caretaker. The last documented case was that of Albus Dumbledore. Many people do not know about his twin because she died less than two weeks after birth. It was a heart anomaly though it wasn't because of being magically charged at birth."

Draco winced at the statistics with the pre-magical fraternal twins. In all of the cases except for one there had been something that went wrong and caused the daughter to die.

"Healer Smythwyc, Hermione and the babies are going to be ok right? None of that stuff is going to happen to her, is it? And our daughter, she won't die for some random reason will she?"

"No Draco, according to the scans I have done on Hermione so far the babies are both healthy. I will be checking that every week though to make sure something does not develop and if it does we can fix it. Magic can fix almost everything these days. Anyways, Merope Gaunt died because she was too weak to go on without the children's father. Slytherin's sister died because of a tragic accident along with the rest of his family, and Dumbledore's sister had a heart anomaly that there was no fix for back then. Hermione and the babies will be just fine, you just need to stay with her and keep loving her. Believe me, it will be hard to do so at times. Pregnancy brings hormone overload with it which also brings mood swings and tiredness. She needs you to be calm and collected for her and to keep her that way as well. No stress is allowed for either of you, do you understand me?"

"Yes we understand perfectly don't we Hermione?"

"Yes."

"Besides that, I have already seen the better side of her temper and I am not going to let her get that way while she is pregnant. I will keep her calm. I love her and our babies too much to let any harm be done to them. I am counting on loving her for the rest of her life and her to love me for the rest of hers."

"That's great. Well now that I think of it, I got the order of the Gaunt and Dumbledore cases mixed up. Dumbledore was born second and the Gaunt's were born third. Anyways, I think you two are going to have some very powerful children. Morfin and Merope did not live the best of life, but they were certainly powerful enough. Merope gained a lot of her power after her father went to Azkaban because he oppressed her so, but Morfin was quite the wizard. He was, however, a bit dim witted although he was quite cunning. He was not a man to be messed with, he was one of the worst muggle haters there were besides You-Know-Who and Grindelwald. Anyways, you are free to leave now. Since you have already purchased your crib, I suggest going and getting another one before the babies are here. After all, two babies means two cribs. Now off you go."

"You don't have any prescriptions for me or anything?"

"Yes, here is a two week supply of hydrating potions. I want you to drink one a day and keep taking your prenatal vitamins. That is all for now, have a good evening you two and you get some rest Hermione."

Draco smiled at the healer and placed an arm around his wife.

"I will personally see that she gets plenty of rest. We'll see you next week."

"Yes, see you next week. Don't hesitate to bring her back in if you feel something is off. Twin pregnancies tend to have more complications than single pregnancies. We'll keep an eye on her though and towards the end she may need to go on bed rest, but let's not get ahead of ourselves and take things one day at a time. Now you two get out of here and enjoy your night. Good bye."

The healer turned and walked out of the room and Draco pulled Hermione to her feet.

"Come on, let's go home."

Together they walked out of the room and back through the lobby and out of the hospital. They found an alley and together they apparated back to the manor.

**A/N: I am sorry that it took a while to get this up. School just started back up for me last night and it has been hard finding time to type the chapters out. I just got done reading Deathly Hallows for the third or fourth time and I cried just as much this time as I did the first time. Anyways, I hate the Epilogue. It is just wrong. Anyways, I am sorry about the lengthy authors note, but I never got to proclaim my feelings about the ending before. Anyways, if you get a chance please review. There is going to be a surprise in the next chapter and I will give five points to the person who can guess what it is going to be. Thanks for reading and please REVIEW!**


	20. Alert!

**A/N: I own nothing but the plot!**

**Chapter 20**

Draco and Hermione apparated back to the Manor and settled down on the couch. To make the time pass by faster, Draco turned on the wizard wireless network to listen to the news and nearly jumped off the couch when he heard what was being said.

"This just in from St. Mungo's, an alert has been put out to keep on the look out for two mentally imbalanced patients who have escaped from the long term care ward of the hospital. Ronald Weasley, 18, and Gilderoy Lockhart, 54, escaped just moments ago from the hospital. Ronald Weasley is known to be violent and has attacked Mr. Draco Malfoy twice within the past six months. In his arrival statement to healers he said it was because 'the dirty ferret stole my Hermione away from me.' Gilderoy Lockhart, the wizard known as the stopper of all things evil, is not dangerous and apparently just followed Mr. Weasley out of the ward. Residents are strongly urged to put protective spells around their homes. Ronald Weasley is described as 6'2 with Red hair and brown eyes. He is Caucasian and widely known for his friendship with Harry potter and helping in the downfall of Voldemort. Gilderoy Lockhart is 5'9 with blonde hair and blue eyes. If you see these two please contact the ministry by floo right away. We will continue to update you on the situation as information comes in."

Draco looked over at Hermione whose eyes were growing wider by the second and her mouth was hanging wide open in shock. He immediately stood and fired a spell that would make it impossible for Ron to find the house even though he already knew the approximate location. He also reactivated the anti-apparition charm so nobody could enter the property and set up wards against Weasley. He then went and scooped up Hermione and took her to bed before going and shutting down the floo network. Draco was on his way back to be with Hermione when he heard her screaming at someone. he immediately started sprinting down the hall and had rounded the corner of the doorway when he saw Ron standing in front of Hermione with a crazed look on his face. Draco stepped into the room and pointed his wand right at his heart.

"Weasley, what are you doing here? Didn't my wife make it clear the last time she saw you that she never wants to see you again?"

"I'm not here for her, Malfoy, I am here for you. You stole the woman that I love from me so now you have to pay. I am taking her back from you only it won't really be stealing because you will be dead. Yes that's right Malfoy; it's about time that you die for being the filthy Death Eater that you were. It is time to face the death that Harry Potter saved you from."

Hermione fell to her knees and started sobbing. Draco went over to her and knelt down next to her. Finally he looked up and with an air of determination he started shouting.

"Kreacher! Kreacher!"

Kreacher appeared with the usual loud 'CRACK!' and looked around in confusion.

"Young Master Malfoy, did you call for me?"

Draco leaned down and started whispering to the elf.

"Yes Kreacher, I need you to take Hermione somewhere away from here. Take her to Harry and Ginny and tell them I will be there as soon as possible. I am going to lift the protective spells and I want you to send Harry. I need his assistance right away. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes Mister Malfoy sir."

Draco stood back up and turned to Hermione.

"Love, I need to speak with you and Kreacher out in the hall please. Weasley, I'll be back in a moment to deal with you."

Ron gave him an agitated look that read can we hurry up and get this over with and Draco turned and walked into the hall with Hermione and Kreacher following him. Hermione was still shaking but was no longer sobbing. She gave Draco a hug and stepped back to look at him.

"Draco, why did you call Kreacher here?"

"He is going to take you to be with Ginny and is sending Harry here to help me with Weasley."

"Young Masters are so brave to face a madman like this. Kreacher is proud to serve such brave Masters. Come Mrs. Master, I will take you to Miss Ginny and Master Harry."

"Draco, I can't leave you here like this, what if he hurts you?"

"Hermione, I will be fine. I will see you in about an hour at Harry's house, now go."

"But-"

"No arguing, you are going. Kreacher, take her away."

Kreacher grabbed Hermione by the hand and disappeared with a loud 'CRACK!' The moment they arrived at Grimmauld Place Hermione started screaming frantically for Harry and Ginny until they came running down the stairs.

"Harry, Draco needs you at the Manor, Ron escaped St. Mungo's and he came to the Manor. You have to go right away, Ron said he was going to kill Draco and I can't raise twins by myself! You have to help us!"

"Calm down because I'm going right now. He will be fine Hermione. We will both be fine. We'll be back soon."

Harry disappeared with a small pop and Hermione dissolved into tears and sank to the floor. Ginny sat down next to her in order to be a source of comfort, but she had tears streaming down her face as well. She couldn't help but worry for both of their husbands.

Back at the Manor

Upon arrival at the manor, Harry was greeted by a livid Draco.

"Harry, he got away. He must have took off when I took the anti apparition charm off the house. He must have gotten scared when he saw Kreacher apparate in."

"Yes well he should be scared. He can't keep trying to attack you like he has been doing. I swear, I really don't know why I was ever friends with that git, he's mental. I should have chosen you over him in the beginning; you are a far better friend than he ever was. Anyways, I think you and Hermione should go to one of your other homes for a little while and if you don't mind I think Ginny and I will join you so that we can plan our wedding and make sure Hermione is not stressing herself out too much. I know how huge your houses are so we could sleep in a different wing. I know Hermione is your wife and everything, but I would never forgive myself if something happened to her. She is like a sister to me and you are like a brother which is why I asked you to be best man. I wish we would have become friends sooner, you are a great guy and have made Hermione so happy."

"I think I am a great guy too, Harry. Seriously though, you are the brother I never had and you are welcome to stay with Hermione and I for as long as you want. I'll let her pick the house we go to though because we have several that i think she would like. Anyways, let's get out of here now. The floo network is shut so can we contact the ministry from your place?"

"Yes, of course. Let's go. We'll apparate right into the living room. Ron can't find us because I put up another unplottable charm that is stronger than the one already there so that he couldn't find it on his own when he got taken to St. Mungo's. Here, hold my arm and we'll go together on three. One, two, three..."

And off they went with a 'pop'.

**A/N: I realize this is a shorter chapter but please understand that I have been crazy busy with my medical coding class… it is way harder than my medical terminology class and takes a lot more time to complete the homework, however, I am ahead on homework and I have a page of chapter 21 written… it should be up in a couple of days. Please REVIEW if you have a chance and I hope you like the chapter, even though I really don't. However, this chapter was necessary for the next one. Enjoy and thanks for reading!**


	21. Fraud!

**A/N: I own nothing but the plot.**

**Chapter 21**

**Fraud**

Harry and Draco arrived in the living room at Grimmauld Place and the girls looked up in surprise. Hermione stood up and ran over to Draco, throwing her arms around him when she got to him and sobbing into his shoulder.

"I was so scared I was going to lose you to that maniac, Draco. I don't know what I would do if I had. Please don't ever do this to me again."

"Shh…it's alright love, your Draco is here now and I will never ever leave you. That sorry excuse for a man could never harm me, he didn't even have a wand. (a/n I don't know if wizards can apparate without a wand, but in my story they can.) He apparated in without any real plan unless he planned on stabbing me with that straw he had in his hand. Anyways, let's go pack some stuff and we'll go to one of my other houses. Harry, you and Ginny stay here and get your stuff packed and we'll meet you back at the manor in an hour."

"Ok, we will see you then."

Draco grabbed Hermione by the arm and made to apparate away. Hermione gave Harry a frightened look and a subtle shake of the head just as she was spun into darkness. Harry looked at Ginny and noticed the look of surprise on her face. She had obviously gotten the same vibe as he and Hermione.

"Harry, something wasn't right with Draco. He would never have grabbed Hermione like that, he is always so gentle with her."

"I know, love. I'm going to go get my invisibility cloak and go after them and you can get our things packed and meet me there in an hour, ok? Oh, contact the ministry and have them send aurors to the Manor."

"Yes Harry."

Harry pulled on his cloak and apparated out to the manor. Upon arrival, he heard raised voices coming from the bedroom and followed them until he was in the doorway.

"What did you do to him? Where is my husband, Ronald?"

"He's here somewhere, but I doubt you'll find him in time to save him. You just had to make me look like a fool, didn't you? How could you choose that ferret over me? Is it because he is rich and I have nothing? Is his love really better than mine? It couldn't possibly be better than min, I have always treated you right and he tortured you through school. If you call that love then you are crazy."

"You are calling me crazy? I am not the one who is standing there with a knife in my hand. I am not the one who stabbed my husband, hid him somewhere and then tried impersonating him only to fail. You do not know what kind of man Draco is, Ronald. He is gentle and loving with me. We have both been secretly in love with each other since first year. Yes he can be an arrogant toe rag at times, but that is why I love him. I don't love him for his money. You know as well as I do that I have my own money. I am not poor by any standards. You claim that you loved me so much, yet you did this. You are a poor excuse for a man. Now tell me where you put my husband, Weasley."

"Maybe I will tell you when I am done with you, but for now I am going to have fun making you mine."

Ron pushed Hermione onto the bed and bound her with Draco's wand. He then climbed on top of her and started kissing down her neck when he was struck with a spell that Hermione knew Harry had to of fired. When he saw that Ron was out cold, he took off his cloak and ran to Hermione and unbound her. She immediately threw herself into his arms and sobbed harder than ever before. She stayed in his arms for a few moments and then backed away, still sobbing.

"We have to find Draco. Ron hid him somewhere in this house and he said we wouldn't find him. Harry, he stabbed him and it could be fatal, we have to find him."

"Don't worry Hermione, we will find him. I'll just use the point me spell so that it will be an easier task."

Harry took out his wand again and said the spell.

"Point me to Draco Malfoy."

The wand immediately pointed to the closet. Hermione immediately ran to the door and opened it. Sitting bound in a chair at the back of the closet was Draco. He looked to be unconscious and he had a large gash in his head that was bleeding freely and a large knife wound in his side. The wound was gushing blood and his white undershirt was soaked. His hands had defensive wounds on them and he was deathly pale, almost grey, in color. Hermione yelled for Harry to come help her before unbinding Draco from the chair.

"Thank God for the Point Me spell. How is he, Hermione?"

"Not good, we need to get him to St. Mungo's immediately for treatment. I can't lose him, Harry. I can't take care of two babies all on my own and they need a father. How could Ron do this to me?"

"Hermione I have to wait here for the aurors to arrive but you go ahead and take Draco to the hospital. I will be fine, I will put him under the imperious curse until the aurors get here. You know how daft Ron is, he doesn't know how to fight it off like the two of us. Anyways, you go and I will be there in a minute. The aurors should be here any moment."

"Harry, I can just heal him partially until the aurors get here, I can't risk this happening to you too. I just don't think I could handle that."

"If that is what you think is best go ahead and do it, I know you are good at it."

Hermione looked at Draco and back at Harry.

"Right, get me the essence of dittany out of my purse."

"Ok, anything else?"

"No, that's all for now."

"Alright, I'll be right back."

Harry walked over to the dresser and opened her purse and rummaged around for the dittany. He found it quickly and took it back to her just as he heard the popping sound of the aurors apparating into the house. He handed her the dittany and yelled for the aurors to come into the bedroom.

"Mr. Potter, we have received word that you know the location of one Ronald Weasley, is that correct?"

"Yes it is, he is right over there on the bed."

"Thank you, you have done a great thing. I have one question though, where are Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy?"

"Hermione is in taking care of Draco, they are in the closet. He has been stabbed and I am assuming he was hit with something from behind. Thank you for coming so fast."

"No problem, Mr. Potter. Now you had better get Mr. Malfoy to St. Mungo's. We will take things from here."

"Yes sir."

Harry walked over to the closet and peeked inside.

"Hermione, let's get him to the Healer now. The aurors are here now and they will take care of everything. Come on, I'll go get Ginny and meet up with you there, ok?"

"Alright, let's go."

**A/N: I am sorry it took so long to get this up, i had a hard time figuring out how i wanted this chapter to end. also, i know that i haven't mentioned Lockhart yet, but you will find out what is up with him in the next chapter. anyways, thanks for reading and if you get the time, please Review. Enjoy!**


	22. The Hospital Again

**A/N:Only the plot is mine**

**Chapter 22**

**The Hospital…Again**

**For the second time that day Hermione found herself at St. Mungo's only this time Draco was the patient instead of her. When they arrived at the hospital the healers had whisked him away immediately and told her to wait in the hall. When they had finally come back out they said that his injuries were healed completely but it would be a few days before he would wake up because his head needed to heal from the concussion. The healers had told her that applying the dittany had saved his life and if she hadn't done so when she did Draco would have died. An hour after Hermione arrived at the hospital with Draco, Harry and Ginny showed up along with Bill and Fleur Weasley. Hermione gave them a weak smile and tears started to slide down her face again. Ginny went to her and embraced her in a hug.**

"**Hermione, it is ok. Draco will be fine and your babies will be fine and your family will be happy. Harry, maybe you should be the one to tell her what is happening with Ron."**

"**Is that ok with you Bill?"**

"**Go right ahead Harry. As far as I am concerned he is no longer my little brother after he did what he did."**

"**Alright, well Ron is going to Azkaban and will most likely be getting the Dementor's Kiss after his trial. That is what Kingsley Shacklebolt told me and the only person who can convince them not to do it is you. For you they will give him only life in Azkaban without the possibility of ever seeing the light of day again. He will go mad just like Bellatrix Lestrange did and if he ever finds a way out like he did with St. Mungo's, well we're all afraid that both of you will be gone. I'm sorry Hermione, I know you were hoping that he would come around someday but I don't think it is ever going to happen."**

"**Harry, Ron almost killed Draco and I applied the dittany in just enough time. He also tried to rape me, do you really think I would settle for life in Azkaban? No, Ron needs to die. He needs what little soul he has left to be taken from him. If I could get away with it I would kill him myself, but I don't want to go to Azkaban myself."**

**Just then Bill stepped forward and hugged her.**

"**Hermione, I am sure that it could be arranged for you to do it yourself. You are a pure girl and it would not split your soul. It will only do so if you do it for an unholy purpose, like doing it just to kill. You are not like that though and I know that like me you did kill during the war, there was no way around it. If that is the way you really want it, Harry could approach Kingsley about it."**

"**Thanks for the pep talk Bill, but I don't think I could do that. Ron was one of my best friends for seven years. I can't kill him, let the Dementor's do it. I just can't do it."**

"**Alright then, I will inform Kingsley of your decision."**

"**Harry you know how weak-minded Ron is, what I meant was let him rot in Azkaban. He'll be dead before we know it and the Dementor's will still get his soul and all of his happiness. Let it be like that because I don't think I could stand myself if I let it happen right away. Like Bill said I am a pure girl and I want my heart to stay that way without any guilt. That is my decision, bring first place so we can just have the ministry put up wards against him at that house as well as all of our other houses. I want you and Ginny to come with us though and Ginny can have her appointments with Healer Smythwyc on the same days as me. How does that sound?"**

"**Are you sure Hermione? I don't want to be in your way with my own baby when you two will Kingsley to me if you must. As for Draco and I, we are planning on moving to Paris in the have two children to take care of."**

"**Ginny, you have seen the manor. That is what all of the Malfoy houses look like. They all look like castles. Besides that Ginny, we have a wedding to plan and I want to make sure you two are safe. I don't want to lose another friend. Besides that, Draco found the perfect tux for the wedding in Paris. Weren't we all going to run away together anyways?"**

"**Yes we were but that was Ron's idea and not Draco's. I don't know how the real Draco would feel about living with Ginny and I."**

"**He would be fine with it. Harry, Draco isn't the same person he was in school and he actually likes you now and he has always secretly admired Ginny because of her spell work and being able to stand up to Ron without being bullied back into submission. Anyways, it will be a couple of days before he wakes up and seeing as it is getting late, I would like to get some sleep. You all can stay as long as you want."**

**With that Hermione turned and went to lay on the bed next to Draco and within seconds she was out cold. **

**Hermione woke up the next morning to hear soft voices talking next to her. She looked over and saw that Harry and Ginny, along with the rest of the Weasley clan, were huddled next to the bed talking. Mrs. Weasley noticed Hermione was awake first and gave her a smile.**

"**Good morning Hermione, how are you feeling?"**

"**I've been better. How long have you all been here?"**

"**Harry, Ginny, Bill and Fleur haven't left since they got here and we arrived about an hour after you fell asleep. Hermione, I just want to apologize for my son's actions. There is no excuse for what he did to you and Draco. I always thought you and Ronald would end up together, but I see now that you and Draco are a thousand times happier than you ever could have been with my son. He is a disgrace to the kindness of the Weasley family and has been disowned by the lot of us. I am so very proud of you for knowing the difference between the way Draco and my son touch you and finding Draco in time to save him. I also want to let you know that when the babies are born you are welcome to bring them by anytime and I will watch them whenever you need me to. It is not every day that a daughter has twins… yes I just called you a daughter. You need a mother who understands our ways and will support you. I would love it if you would allow me to call you my child."**

"**Of course Mrs. Weasley, but you do know that I am the one your son went crazy over don't you?"**

"**Yes I do, but I also know that he was already a bit unstable. The war messed him up pretty good, mostly due to that locket Harry told us about. It must have been awful, but that is no reason to go nutty and try murdering a great man like Draco. Anyways, dear, I brought you a copy of the Prophet to look at. I thought you would be interested to read some of the articles in it this morning. Now, why don't we all go get some breakfast and leave Hermione to her paper and visit with Draco? Come on then."**

**A/N: Shorter chapter I know, but i had to cut it off there... the next chapter is about an article in the paper that is most amusing... anyways, i got inspiration last night for a new story based on a couple of songs that i have on my ipod, so i should have the first chapter of that up in a couple of days. it will be called 'Everything' and it will be another DMHG story. i hope you all enjoy this chapter more than i do, i had a hard time writing it. anyways, merry christmas to all!**


	23. Hermione's Rage

**Chapter 23**

**Hermione's Rage**

Hermione sat down in the chair next to Draco's bed and held up the paper. She looked at the front page and immediately erupted into hysterical laughter. On the front page was a large photo of none other than Gilderoy Lockhart. He was sitting behind two crates, one stacked on top of the other, and using another as a chair. On the crates in front of him there was a stack of photos which he appeared to be autographing. The funny thing about it was the fact that the photos were those that the ministry distributed when he escaped from St. Mungo's. Below the photo of the scene there was quite a long article.

"_Gilderoy Lockhart was found late yesterday afternoon in _

_ front of Flourish and Blotts booksellers in Diagon Alley._

_Mr. Lockhart was doing what he does best, signing photos_

_for his fans, only this time there were no fans to be found_

_as he just looked like another crazy homeless wizard. _

_However crazy he looked though, it seems that his memory_

_has finally returned to him after his five year bout of_

_amnesia. Lockhart's brain was severely addled after an_

_Obliviate charm backfired on him during a teaching_

_stint at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_It is rumored that he was trying to wipe the memories_

_of Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter with a faulty wand._

_However it happened though I think we can all say that_

_we are happy that Mr. Lockhart is back among the sane_

_population once again. In other news, Ronald Weasley_

_was caught late last night in the home of Draco and _

_Hermione Malfoy. Mr. Malfoy was found bound and_

_gagged in the Malfoy's closet with a large stab wound_

_in his side and a large gash in his head after friends got_

_suspicious of 'Draco's' behavior. It turns out that Mr. _

_Weasley hit Draco in the head from behind and then _

_drank a draft of Polyjuice Potion from the Malfoy's stores._

_At this point in time it is not known what will be done_

_With Mr. Weasley apart from being thrown in Azkaban,_

_but it is a great probability that he will be getting the _

_Dementor's Kiss immediately after his trial which will be _

_held first thing Thursday morning. Harry Potter, one of_

_Mr. Weasley's best friends, has said 'there is no excuse _

_for Ron's behavior, he needs to get over Hermione and_

_move on, not just for his sake but for everyone else's as_

_well. Furthermore, it is not fair to Mrs. Malfoy that_

_she almost lost her husband and her own life all in _

_one day. He should be ashamed of himself and I for_

_one completely agree with giving him the Kiss. He _

_deserves it for the evil he has done. He nearly killed_

_Draco and left his children fatherless, such behavior_

_deserves such punishment.' Yes that is right readers,_

_Hermione and Draco Malfoy are to become parents of_

_twins in eight months time. There is no word yet on _

_how Mr. Malfoy is doing this morning but we will bring_

_you an update as soon as we get one. We here at the Daily _

_Prophet are wishing both the Malfoy and the Weasley_

_families the best of luck."_

Hermione finished the article with a sad smile on her face. It was great that Lockhart had finally gotten his memory back, but why had they bogged down such great news? Why couldn't they report the fact that Ron had tried murdering her husband separately? It just wasn't right. However angry she was about that though it was overshadowed by her anger at his ability to even escape the hospital in the first place. How had he even managed that? Wasn't anybody watching the exit? Why wasn't he under strong charms against escape in the first place? Rage took over and she raced out of the room and down to the long term mental illness ward to confront them about their stupidity. She flew past Harry and the rest of the Weasley's on her way and they all shot her puzzled looks but she didn't stop to explain herself. Finally she arrived at her destination and she headed straight to the welcome desk for the ward to confront the first healer she saw. It just so happened to be Healer Smythwyc.

"Hermione, dear, how are you? I am so sorry about Draco, how is he doing?"

"Other than the fact that he is unconscious he is fine. May I speak to the supervisor of this floor please?"

"That would be me at the moment, is there something wrong?"

"Is there something wrong? There bloody well is something wrong! How the hell did Ronald Weasley manage to escape this place? Don't you people know anything about binding spells to keep dangerous people in? Why the hell was he left alone and why wasn't somebody watching the exit? I want answers and I want them NOW!"

"Oh dear, you must keep yourself calm Mrs. Malfoy, but I will answer your questions for you as best as I possibly can. I was not on staff in this ward yesterday as you very well know so I am not sure what went on here. I can tell you this though, the trainee who was supposed to be keeping an eye on Mr. Weasley decided that it was beneath him to be doing that job so he left the room and stayed in the staff's lunch room for several hours. He was supposed to be maintaining the binding spells on Ronald but he never went and recast them. As for somebody watching the exit, there is always somebody watching the exit but they were called away for a moment and thought that they would be able to see if anyone was trying to leave. It turns out that it was Mr. Weasley who called him away and he was clubbed over the head with an empty pumpkin juice bottle. Mrs. Malfoy, I am desperately sorry. Is there anything that I can do to help you?"

"Yes, you can pay my husbands hospital bill as well as the legal fees to sue that incompetent trainee that you hired. Also, you can fire him. You cannot give me back my sanity and you cannot bring my husband out of his unconsciousness so you can do those things."

"I will make sure all of those things are done, Mrs. Malfoy. I hope that I am still your pregnancy care doctor as I am one of the few who know anything about your condition and I hope that Draco wakes up soon."

"Of course you are still my doctor, you are one of the best and you were not staffed in this ward yesterday so please forgive me for my outburst as this was nothing personal against you, just the hospital itself. Anyways, thank you for answering my questions although you didn't know what went on; however, I will want to talk to yesterday's supervisor at some point to see why they couldn't have stopped that maniac from escaping. If you'll excuse me I want to go back and be with Draco now. I'll see you later ma'am."

"Yes dear, I will be up later to check on both of you. Remember to get plenty of rest. I will see you soon Mrs. Malfoy. Draco will be fine, he's strong and too stubborn to let go. Now go on back and get some rest, you'll be needing it in the time to come."

Hermione walked slowly back to Draco's room. Healer Smythwyc was right, Draco would be fine and in a few days he would be awake. She needed him so badly to be here, but at that moment she would settle for a nap. When she walked into his room she walked past all the Weasley's and Harry and laid down on the bed next to Draco and fell into a deep sleep. Little did she know that at the same time Ron was falling into a deep sleep that would last the rest of his soulless life.


	24. Awakenings

**A/N: I know it's short, but please consider the fact that i have been extremely busy. The next chapter should be up in a couple days as it is already half written. thanks for your patience. **

**Chapter 24**

**Awakenings**

The next two days passed quickly. Ron's body had been found in his cell at Azkaban after his soul was sucked out by a rogue Dementor. It had been big news but Hermione didn't really care about it. Ron had attempted to murder her husband and had almost raped her. Of course she felt horrible for his family but he just wasn't worth any more of her tears. Ginny had stood in shock when she had heard about the fate that her brother had met but she knew that it probably would have happened after his trial regardless of what Hermione said. Molly was heartbroken that her youngest son had been taken away from her in such an unexpected way and was a force to be reckoned with at the Ministry the morning the news was broke. She had demanded that they get rid of the Dementor's once and for all because they just couldn't be trusted. When asked how to do such a thing she responded that they should lock them all up in an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere and let them dry up into nothing. She then suggested that they hire real people to guard the prison. Hermione felt for the person who had to deal with Mrs. Weasley. It could not have been easy losing two sons in less than a year. However sad it was though, Hermione felt that Ron had gotten what was coming to him. He deserved that punishment. Hermione brought herself out of her thoughts and looked back to Draco who was still in a coma. It had been three days since the attack and the Healers said he should be waking up any time now. Hermione sat down in the chair next to her husband's bed and took his hand in hers. She kissed the hand and leaned in to look at his face. She could have sworn that he had smiled.

"Draco, did you feel me kissing your hand?"

He gave out a low moan and Hermione leaned forward even more.

"Draco can you open your eyes for me?"

Draco let out another low moan and his eyes started twitching. Hermione scooted her chair closer to the bed and leaned in even further.

"Draco, it's me Hermione. I am here and I'm safe. I love you. Can you wake up for me? Please Draco, I need you."

Draco's eyes fluttered open and he looked around the room in confusion. Hermione immediately jumped up out of her seat and sat on the bed next to him. Draco's eyes finally stopped scanning the room and rested on her.

"Where am I?"

"You are at St. Mungo's. Ronald attacked you. You almost died."

Draco shuddered at the last bit of information, but chose to ignore it for the time being.

"What day is it?"

"It's Sunday. You have been in a coma for 3 days. You were stabbed and hit over the head. What is the last thing you remember?"

"I remember you leaving with Kreacher and then it all goes black. What happened to Weasley? He didn't get away did he?"

"No, he didn't get away. He stole some Polyjuice potion and became you and then he tried attacking me. Harry arrived just in time to stop him. Ronald is in Azkaban now."

"But he'll escape! The Dementor's don't care about keeping evil in there anymore!"

"He won't escape, Draco. A rogue Dementor gave him the kiss. He has no soul anymore, he's worse than dead. Anyways, I'd better let the healers know that you're awake. Ginny, Harry and the rest of the Weasley's should be here soon. I'll be right back."

Hermione leaned in and gave Draco a kiss and then got up and went to find the Healer assigned to Draco's case. It was fairly easy because he was sitting at the welcome desk.

"Draco is awake."

"Ok, let's go so I can check him out."

"He seems to be fine."

"Well, I'd like to check him over anyways. Ah, here we are. How are you feeling Mr. Malfoy?"

"I'm a little sore and I have a headache, but I have felt worse."

The elderly healer smiled at Draco before speaking.

"Yes well that headache should go away in a few days. You had a massive concussion and a small brain bleed that was easily fixed when you got here. You are lucky though that your wife had essence of dittany though because you would have been dead before you got here if she hadn't applied it. The stab wounds were the deepest I have seen in a long time. Well, you seem to be healthy now but I would like to keep you in observation for the night. You can go home tomorrow if all goes well tonight. A nurse will be around to give you a headache potion in a few minutes. Have a good day Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. I'll be here to check on you throughout the night."

"Thank you, sir."

The healer nodded and turned to leave. It was going to be a good day.

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to post this, I couldn't figure out what I wanted to happen in this chapter. Also, I own nothing. I hope you like this chapter! The next one should be up soon! I already have half of it written! Anyways, enjoy and REVIEW!**


	25. The Visitor's

**Disclaimer: I don't own it… yada yada yada**

**Chapter 25**

**The Visitor's**

Harry and the Weasley's arrived about an hour after Draco woke up. They walked into his room and immediately asked if he had woken up yet, not noticing that he was sitting up in bed. Hermione smiled brightly, which she hadn't done since the incident, and pointed to the bed.

"Why don't you see for yourself?"

They all looked over at the bed and Draco smiled and waved. The Weasley clan all went over and started hugging him. Mrs. Weasley was fussing over him as was normal for her and he just smiled.

"How are you doing dear? When did you wake up? Are you in any pain? Do you need anything to eat or drink? Will you forgive us for what Ronald did?"

Draco half-smiled at her.

"I don't need to forgive you, you didn't do anything wrong. You are not responsible for your son's actions. He was a grown man, he should have known better and I should have been looking out for myself and not had my back turned. Mrs. Weasley, you are obviously a very good mother from the way your other kids have turned out. Don't blame yourself for his bad choices, it just isn't right. I wish I had had a mother who cared as much about me as you care about your children. I know both of my parents cared in the end, but not before it was almost too late. Anyways, I am feeling fine. I had a bit of a headache but I took a headache potion a little bit ago and it's gone for the time being. I woke up about an hour ago and no I don't have any pain. Now, who wants to tell me what has happened in the past few days?"

The next hour was spent talking about the events that had unfolded since Draco was attacked. They stayed away from Ron's Kiss, but Draco got a laugh when he saw the picture of Lockhart outside Flourish and Blotts sitting on the old milk crates. He was also glad that the man had gotten his memory back even though he was nothing but a fraud. They also told him about Hermione's little outburst at the healer's in the Mental Ward and he gave a little cheer for her. He had always admired the way she could intimidate people into giving her answers and how she always fought for what she believed was right even if another person thought it was kind of goofy. It was one of the things he loved most about her and he hoped she never changed. After their chatter had died down they noticed two people standing in the doorway.

"Hey Drake, how are you holding up?"

"Blaise Zabini, how in the world did you know I was here?"

"Read it in the paper. Lavender and I were in the area for a healer appointment and decided to stop by."

Lavender gave a nod of her head and looked relatively uncomfortable. It could have had something to do with the fact that she looked like she was due to give birth to a child any day or she could have just felt awkward barging in on the Weasley's, Harry, and the Malfoy's. Sensing her feeling of awkwardness Mrs. Weasley stood up and made her sit down and she finally relaxed.

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley, I am just so uncomfortable. My back is killing me and my feet are swollen and I'm just so tired. I can't wait for this baby to be born! Thank goodness I only have another two weeks to go and then maybe I can get some sleep!"

Mrs. Weasley laughed.

"Don't count on it honey, babies are hard work and you get even less sleep with them then you do in the last weeks of pregnancy. Of course the only ones who gave me any trouble were Fred and George. They were into mischief even as infants, and actually it started before then. Crazy pregnancy that was… anyways, why don't we leave you four alone? We'll be by to see you later though. Do you know when you are going home yet, Draco?"

"The Healer said probably tomorrow so if you want you can just wait until then. I am sure you have things to do at home. I am sorry about Ron, Mrs. Weasley. Even though he attacked me and tried to kill me I don't think he deserved that punishment without getting sentenced to it. I hope those nimrods at the ministry, no offense Mr. Weasley, listen to you."

"No offense taken, I've been calling them all much worse for much longer and I work there. Thanks for the kind words as well, they mean a lot coming from you. You are truly a changed man Draco Malfoy and I am proud of you."

With that the Weasley's, along with Harry, told the Draco and Hermione that they would be by to visit in a couple days so that they could get settled back at home and then they left so that they could visit with Blaise and Lavender.

Blaise and Lavender stayed for about a half hour until Lavender plead hunger and the need to pee. Hermione laughed at the exact wording she used and stood to hug the both of them goodbye. Just as the two of them were leaving they heard a small voice coming from the doorway. The four friends looked up and saw Pansy Parkinson standing there with tears streaming down her face.

"Parkinson? What the hell are you doing here, I thought I told you to stay away from me."

"Oh Draco, I am so sorry for all the things I said. I should have realized that you would have gotten together and married Hermione by now. I knew how much you loved her and I knew it was your destiny to be with her anyways. Hermione, I am so sorry about calling you a Mudblood at that restaurant in front of all those Muggles, it was very childish of me and I want you to know that you two are perfect together. When I saw in the Prophet what had happened I was away on business but when I got back I apparated straight here. I never should have said all that stuff that day because I am a wizard yet I work in the muggle world in my own muggle store. I make clothes. I am so very sorry you two, will you please forgive me?"

Hermione felt bad for the girl and went and gave her a hug.

"Of course I forgive you Pansy. Everybody makes mistakes, you were just caught off guard that day."

Draco gave Pansy a small smile and a nod of his head.

"I forgive you Pans."

Pansy broke into a wide grin and ran to him and gave him a hug. When she pulled away tears were still streaming down her face.

"I am so sorry about what happened to you two. I don't know what would have happened if you would have died and I hadn't gotten to apologize. You have been my best friend for so long and I couldn't face almost losing you again. Anyways, I have to get back to my store now. I have been gone for a week to Paris and they knew I was coming back today and I was expected to be there a half hour ago. I'm never late so if I am any later they will start to worry. I will come visit you guys this weekend if that is ok with you."

"Of course, but in a few days we are moving to the house in Paris. We have to get out of this city for a little while. There are too many bad memories at the Manor for both of us right now. The three of you are welcome to visit at any time though. Oh, by the way Pans, Hermione are having twins. A boy and a girl and they are pre-magical. It only happens with the most magical parents in the wizarding world. Anyways, I will let you all go now. Have a good day and come see us soon!"

Blaise, Lavender and Pansy all nodded and waved goodbye to the couple and left the room. They were finally alone and they decided to put their alone time to good use. Hermione crawled into bed beside Draco and they snuggled down into the blankets for a long nap.

**A/N: New chappie everyone! Enjoy and review if you have the chance! I love you all! Thanks for your patience while I decided which route I was going to take the story!**


	26. Going Home to See the Prophecies

**Going Home to See The Prophecies**

The next day Draco was discharged just as promised and they went home to get ready for their big move. Hermione told him how the plan was for Harry and Ginny to move with them so that they could work on the wedding together and he and Harry could do whatever they wanted to do. Draco surprisingly loved the idea because the Manor was no longer where he wanted to be and he and Harry were turning into pretty good friends. Hermione had already seen the Healer for her weekly appointment so she just told her that from now on she should go to the house in Paris and that Ginny would be having her appointments there as well. Of course there were things that needed to be done before they left and one of those was to go and take a look at the prophecy that Draco's father had made about the two of them being together.

Two days after Draco was discharged he and Hermione took a trip to the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries. Hermione had made the appointment the day he woke up as a way to celebrate his waking. Hermione and Draco walked up to the wand check in, had their wands 'weighed' and walked over to the lifts and pushed the button for department of mysteries. When the door opened they walked right out and down to the door where they now had a secretary to take a person's name and why they were visiting the DOM. Hermione walked up to the desk and the secretary looked up immediately.

"Welcome to the Department of Mysteries, is there something I may do for you today?"

"Yes, Hermione and Draco Malfoy to see a few prophecies made by Lucius Malfoy. We have an appointment."

"Yes, Mrs. Malfoy I can see that. Follow me right this way please."

The woman stood up and led them through several doors until they got to a large oval shaped room decorated in sky blue paint and had thousands of television-like screens on the walls.

"Wait here and I will be right back with your prophecies in just a moment. You want all of them that were made by Mr. Lucius Malfoy, correct?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Alright then, I will be back momentarily."

Hermione and Draco sat down in the chairs that were provided and looked around the room. Hermione assumed that they were somehow going to be watching the prophecies on the TV screens.

The woman walked back into the room carrying a small box filled to the brim with little DVD like disks.

"Here you go. Now, just tap one of these at a time with your wand and it will project onto the screens. Take as long as you need and when you are finished I can make copies for you if you wish. I'll leave you now. Good luck!"

Hermione took the box of discs and handed them to Draco. Draco pulled the first disc out of the box and tapped it with the end of his wand and the image projecting itself to the screen took both of their breaths away. They were staring at themselves. They watched in utter shock as their prophecy counterparts interacted.

"Draco, what color should we make the baby's room?"

"How about green and silver?"

The Hermione on-screen laughed and slapped the on-screen Draco on the arm gently.

"Only you would want Slytherin colors. What if I want to make the room Gryffindor colors?"

On screen Draco grimaced.

"Please tell me you would not inflict that punishment on our unborn child."

"No I wouldn't do that to you either but we could combine the colors."

"That is a good idea. Hey, how about we ask Cissy and Lucas what they think about the color choice?"

"Seriously Drake, they are only a year old. Do you think they really care what color we make the new baby's room?"

"Probably not but I think I like your idea."

The prophecy faded out at that time and Hermione and Draco looked at each other and smiled. Draco was the first to speak.

"So apparently when our babies are a year old we will be expecting another baby and fighting over room colors."

"And the babies' names will be Cissy and Lucas…"

"After my parents obviously."

"The funny thing is I was going to suggest Cissy for the girl and Lucas for the boy. They are variations of your parents' names. Oh Draco, how must your father have felt when he saw this?"

"He was probably overjoyed that he was getting more than one grandkid to spoil in his lifetime. He and mother wanted more than one child, it just never happened. Anyways, let's watch the next one."

Again they were blown away by what they saw.

Lucius and Narcissa standing in front of a castle among Death Eaters and their son right behind them.

"Traitors."

Green flashes of light flying at them in all directions and a red beam hitting Draco in the back and causing him to fall, stunned but not dead. Lucius and Narcissa lying lifeless on the ground while the Death Eaters flee and Harry brings Draco out of the stunning spell. He had foreseen their deaths.

Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and she squeezed it. She could tell that he was fighting back tears and she pulled him into a tight hug.

"Draco, you know that they both loved you. I am so sorry you had to see that. I can't believe it. I love you Draco."

Hermione was crying and Draco looked at her and wiped her tears away.

"Don't cry love, I know they loved me in their own way. They didn't always show it but I know they did. It was just a shock to see that all over again."

Hermione looked up at Draco with tears streaming down her face.

"Oh Draco, it is just the fact that he saw the part about having Grandchildren and then he saw the way he was going to die. I would have loved to have seen the happy man that you said you had as a father when you were young. I would have loved to of met the man who put aside the calls of being a death eater to make sure you were safe. You know, these prophecies are not a sure thing all the time, things can happen to change the future, but I am glad nothing has changed ours so far. The bottom line is that we are together. I love you Draco."

"I love you too."

Draco held Hermione for a while longer and he had silent tears coming down his face. He was in shock at seeing that scene for a second time, but it brought him peace in a way. It made him feel better to know that his father knew he was going to be killed and was not surprised in the least. Finally after 20 minutes he pulled away and wiped his face. Hermione looked at him and gave him a slight smile.

"Are you ready to watch the next one, Draco?"

"Yeah, I guess. Although can you call me Drake, I liked the way that sounded when you said it in that clip…"

Hermione smiled. "Okay, Drake."

Draco smirked and pulled the next disk out of the box. He tapped it with his wand and they sat back and watched his parents' wedding, followed by Draco's birth and then they came to one they were very surprised to see, Harry's journey into the forest and the fall of Voldemort.

_Harry Potter walked into the woods unseen as he was covered by his invisibility cloak. He seemed to be surrounded by many shadowy figures who took on the appearances of Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Lily and James Potter. He seemed to be having a quiet conversation with them about death._

"_Does it hurt?"_

"_Dying? Not at all," Sirius answered. "Quicker and easier than falling asleep."_

"_And he will want it to be quick. He wants it over," said Lupin._

"_I didn't want you to die," Harry said. "Any of you, I'm sorry-"_

_He addressed Lupin more than any of them, beseeching him._

"—_right after you'd had your son… Remus, I'm sorry –-"_

"_I am sorry too," said Lupin. "Sorry I will never know him… but he will know why I died and I hope he will understand. I was trying to make a world in which he could live a happier life."_

"_You'll stay with me?"_

"_Until the very end," said James._

"_They won't be able to see you?" asked Harry._

"_We are part of you," said Sirius. "Invisible to anyone else."_

_Harry looked at his mother._

"_Stay close to me," he said quietly._

_And he set off. The dementors' chill did not overcome him; he passed through it with his companions, and they acted like Patronuses to him, and together they marched through the old trees that grew closely together, their branches tangled, their roots gnarled and twisted underfoot. Harry clutched the Cloak tightly around him in the darkness, traveling deeper and deeper into the forest, with no idea where exactly Voldemort was, but sure that he would find him. Beside him, making scarcely a sound, walked James, Sirius, Lupin, and Lily, and their presence was his courage and the reason he was able to keep putting one foot in front of the other._

_His body and mind felt oddly disconnected now, his limbs working without conscious instruction, as if he were passenger, not driver, in the body he was about to leave. The dead who walked beside him through the forest were much more real to him now than the living back at the castle: Ron, Hermione, Ginny and all the others were the ones who felt like ghosts as he stumbled and slipped toward the end of his life, toward Voldemort…_

_A thud and a whisper: Some other living creature had stirred close by. Harry stopped under the Cloak, peering around, listening, and his mother and father, Lupin and Sirius stopped too. _

"_Someone there," came a rough whisper close at hand. "He's got an Invisibility Cloak. Could it be ---?"_

_Two figures emerged from behind a nearby tree: Their wands flared and Harry saw Yaxley and Dolohov peering into the darkness, directly at the place Harry, his mother and father and Sirius and Lupin stood. Apparently they could not see anything._

"_Definitely heard something," said Yaxley. "Animal, d'you reckon?"_

"_That head case Hagrid kept a whole bunch of stuff in here," said Dolohov, glancing over his shoulder. _

_Yaxley looked down at his watch._

"_Time's nearly up. Potter's had his hour. He's not coming."_

"_And he was sure he'd come! He won't be happy."_

"_Better go back," said Yaxley. "Find out what the plan is now."_

_He and Dolohov turned and walked deeper into the forest. Harry followed them, knowing that they would lead him exactly where he wanted to go. He glanced sideways, and his mother smiled at him, and his father nodded encouragement. _

_They had traveled on mere minutes when Harry saw a light ahead, and Yaxley and Dolohov stepped out into a clearing that Harry knew had been the place where the monstrous Aragog had once lived. The remnants of his vast web were there still, but the swarm of descendants he had spawned had been driven out by the Death Eaters, to fight for their cause._

_A fire burned in the middle of the clearing, and its flickering light fell over a crowd of completely silent, watchful Death Eaters. Some of them were still masked and hooded; others showed their faces. Two giants sat on the outskirts of the group, casting massive shadows over the scene, their faces cruel, rough-hewn like rock. Harry saw Fenrir, skulking, chewing his long nails; the great blond Rowle was dabbing at his bleeding lip. He saw Lucius Malfoy, who looked defeated and terrified, and Narcissa, whose eyes were sunken and full of apprehension. _

_Every eye was fixed upon Voldemort, who stood with his head bowed, and his white hands folded over the Elder Wand in front of him. He might have been praying, or else counting silently in his mind, and Harry, standing still on the edge of the scene, thought absurdly of a child counting in a game of hide and seek. Behind his head, still swirling and coiling, the great snake Nagini floated in her glittering, charmed cage, like a monstrous halo._

_When Dolohov and Yaxley rejoined the circle, Voldemort looked up._

"_No sign of him, my Lord," said Dolohov._

_Voldemort's expression did not change. The red eyes seemed to burn in the firelight. Slowly he drew the Elder Wand between his long fingers._

"_My Lord –"_

_Bellatrix had spoken: She sat closest to Voldemort, disheveled, her face a little bloody but otherwise unharmed._

_Voldemort raised his hand to silence her, and she did not speak another word, but eyed him in worshipful fascination._

"_I thought he would come," said Voldemort in his high, clear voice, his eyes on the leaping flames. "I expected him to come."_

_Nobody spoke. They seemed as scared as Harry, whose heart was now throwing itself against his ribs as though determined to escape the body he was about to cast aside. His hands were sweating as he pulled off the Invisibility Cloak and stuffed it beneath his robes, with his wand. He did not want to be tempted to fight._

"_I was, it seems… mistaken," said Voldemort._

"_You weren't."_

_Harry said it as loudly as he could, with all the force he could muster: He did not want to sound afraid. The Resurrection Stone slipped from between his numb fingers, and out of the corner of his eyes he saw his parents, Sirius, and Lupin vanish as he stepped forward into the firelight. At that moment he felt that nobody mattered but Voldemort. It was just the two of them._

_The illusion was gone as soon as it had come. The giants roared as the Death Eaters rose together, and there were many cries, gasps, even laughter. Voldemort had frozen where he stood, but his red eyes had found Harry, and he stared as Harry moved toward him, with nothing but fire between them._

_Then a voice yelled: "HARRY! NO!"_

_He turned: Hagrid was bound and trussed, tied to a tree nearby. His massive body shook the branches overhead as he struggled, desperate._

"_NO! NO! HARRY, WHAT'RE YEH --?"_

"_QUIET!" shouted Rowle, and with a flick of his wand Hagrid was silenced._

_Bellatrix, who had leapt to her feet, was looking eagerly from Voldemort to Harry, her breast heaving. The only things that moved were the flames and the snake, coiling and uncoiling in the glittering cage behind Voldemort's head._

_Harry could feel his wand against his chest, but he made no attempt to draw it. He knew that the snake was too well protected, knew that if he managed to point the wand at Nagini, fifty curses would hit him first. And still, Voldemort and Harry looked at each other, and now Voldemort tilted his head a little to the side, considering the boy standing before him and a singularly mirthless smile curled the lipless mouth._

"_Harry Potter," he said very softly. His voice might have been part of the spitting fire. "The Boy Who Lived."_

_None of the Death Eaters moved. They were waiting: Everything was waiting. Hagrid was struggling, and Bellatrix was panting, and Harry thought inexplicably of Ginny, and her blazing look, and the feel of her lips on his –_

_Voldemort had raised his wand. His head was still tilted to one side, like a curious child, wondering what would happen if he proceeded. Harry looked back into the red eyes, and wanted it to happen now, quickly, while he could still stand, before he lost control, before he betrayed fear –_

_He saw the mouth move and a flash of green light, and everything was gone._

(La la la… skipping kings cross…)

_He was lying facedown on the ground [again. The smell of the forest filled his nostrils. He could feel the cold hard ground beneath his cheek, and the hinge of his glasses, which had been knocked sideways by the fall, cutting into his temple. Every inch of him ached, and the place where the Killing Curse had hit him felt like the bruise of an iron-clad punch. He did not stir, but remained exactly where he had fallen, with his left arm bent out at an awkward angle and his mouth gaping._

_He had expected to hear cheers of triumph and jubilation at his death, but instead hurried footsteps, whispers, and solicitous murmurs filled the air._

"_My Lord… my Lord…"_

_It was Bellatrix's voice, and she spoke as if to a lover. Harry did not dare open his eyes, but allowed his other senses to explore his predicament. He knew that his wand was still stowed beneath his robes because he could feel it pressed between his chest and the ground. A slight cushioning effect in the area of his stomach told him that the Invisibility Cloak was also there, stuffed out of sight. _

"_My Lord…"_

"_That will do," said Voldemort's voice._

_More footsteps: Several people were backing away from the same spot. Desperate to see what was happening and why, Harry opened his eyes by a millimeter. _

_Voldemort seemed to be getting to his feet. Various Death Eaters were hurrying away from him, returning to the crowd lining the clearing. Bellatrix alone remained behind, kneeling beside Voldemort. _

_Harry closed his eyes again and considered what he had seen. The Death Eaters had been huddled around Voldemort, who seemed to have fallen to the ground. Something had happened when he had hit Harry with the Killing Curse. Had Voldemort too collapsed? It seemed like it. And both of them had fallen briefly unconscious and both of them had now returned…_

"_My Lord, let me –"_

"_I do not require assistance," said Voldemort coldly, and though he could not see it, Harry pictured Bellatrix withdrawing a helpful hand. "The boy… Is he dead?"_

_There was complete silence in the clearing. Nobody approached Harry, but he felt their concentrated gaze; it seemed to press him harder into the ground, and he was terrified a finger or an eyelid might twitch._

"_You," said Voldemort, and there was a bang and a small shriek of pain. "Examine him. Tell me whether he is dead."_

_Harry did not know who had been sent to verify. He could only lie there, with his heart thumping traitorously, and wait to be examined, but at the same time noticing, small comfort though it was, that Voldemort was wary of approaching him, that Voldemort suspected that all had not gone to plan…_

_Hands, softer than he had been expecting, touched Harry's face, pulled back an eyelid, crept beneath his shirt, down to his chest, and felt his heart. He could hear the woman's fast breathing, her long hair tickled his face. He knew that she could feel the steady pounding of life against his ribs._

"_Is Draco alive? Is he in the castle?"_

_The whisper was barely audible; her lips were an inch from his ear, her head bend so low that her long hair shielded his face from the onlookers._

"_Yes," he breathed back._

_He felt the hand on his chest contract; he nails pierced him. Then it was withdrawn. She had sat up._

"_He is dead!" Narcissa Malfoy called to the watchers._

_And now they shouted, now they yelled in triumph and stamped their feet, and through his eyelids, Harry saw bursts of red and silver light shoot into the air in celebration._

_Still feigning death on the ground, he understood. Narcissa knew that the only way she would be permitted to enter Hogwarts, and find her son, was as part of the conquering army. She no longer cared whether Voldemort won._

"_You see?" screeched Voldemort over the tumult. "Harry Potter is dead by my hand, and no man alive can threaten me now! Watch! Crucio!"_

_Harry had been expecting it, knew his body would not be allowed to remain unsullied upon the forest floor; it must be subjected to humiliation to prove Voldemort's victory. He was lifted into the air, and it took all his determination to remain limp, yet the pain he expected did not come. He was thrown once, twice, three times into the air: His glasses flew off and he felt his wand slide a little beneath his robes, but he kept himself floppy and lifeless, and when he fell to the ground for the last time, the clearing echoed with jeers and shrieks of laughter._

"_Now," said Voldemort, "we go to the castle, and show them what has become of their hero. Who shall drag the body? No – Wait –"_

_There was a fresh outbreak of laughter, and after a few moments Harry felt the ground trembling beneath him._

"_You carry him," Voldemort said. "He will be nice and visible in your arms, will he not? Pick up your little friend, Hagrid. And the glasses – put on the glasses – he must be recognizable."_

_Someone slammed Harry's glasses back onto his face with deliberate force, but the enormous hands that lifted him into the air were exceedingly gentle. Harry could feel Hagrid's arms trembling with the force of his heaving sobs; great tears splashed down upon him as Hagrid cradled Harry in his arms, and Harry did not dare, by movement or word, to intimate to Hagrid that all was not, yet, lost._

"_Move," said Voldemort, and Hagrid stumbled forward, forcing his way through the close growing trees, back through the forest. Branches caught at Harry's hair and robes, but he lay quiescent, his mouth lolling open, his eyes shut, and in the darkness, while the Death Eaters crowded all around them, and while Hagrid sobbed blindly, nobody looked to see whether a pulse beat in the exposed neck of Harry Potter… _

_The two giants crashed along behind the Death Eaters; Harry could hear trees creaking and falling as they passed; they made so much din that birds rose shrieking into the sky, and even the jeers of the Death Eaters were drowned. The victorious procession marched on toward the open ground, and after a while Harry could tell, by the lightening of the darkness through his closed eyelids, that the trees were beginning to thin. _

"_Bane!"_

_Hagrid's unexpected bellow nearly forced Harry's eyes open. _

"_Happy now, are yeh, that yeh didn' fight, ye cowardly bunch o' nags? Are yeh happy Harry Potter's – d-dead...?"_

_Hagrid could not continue, but broke down in fresh tears. Harry wondered how many centaurs were watching their procession pass; he dared not open his eyes to look. Some of the Death Eaters called insults at the centaurs as they left them behind. A little later, Harry sensed, by a freshening of the air, that they had reached the edge of the forest._

"_Stop."_

_Harry thought that Hagrid must have been forced to obey Voldemort's command, because he lurched a little. And now a chill settled over them where they stood, and Harry heard the rasping breath of the dementors that patrolled the outer trees. They would not affect him now. The fact of his own survival burned inside him, a talisman against them, as though his father's stag kept guardian in his heart._

_Someone passed close by Harry, and he knew that it was Voldemort himself because he spoke a moment later, his voice magically magnified so that it swelled through the grounds, crashing upon Harry's eardrums._

"_Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone._

"_The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."_

_There was silence in the grounds and from the castle. Voldemort was so close to him that Harry did not dare open his eyes again._

"_Come," said Voldemort, and Harry heard him move ahead, and Hagrid was forced to follow. Now Harry opened his eyes a fraction, and saw Voldemort striding in front of them, wearing the snake Nagini around his shoulders, now free of her enchanted cage. But Harry had no possibility of extracting the wand concealed under his robes without being noticed by the Death Eaters, who marched on either side of them through the slowly lightening darkness..._

"_Harry," sobbed Hagrid. "Oh, Harry... Harry..."_

_Harry shut his eyes tight again. He knew that they were approaching the castle and strained his ears to distinguish, above the gleeful voices of the Death Eaters and their trampling footsteps, signs of life from those within._

"_Stop."_

_The Death Eaters came to a halt: Harry heard them spreading out in a line facing the open front doors of the school. He could see, even through his closed lids, the reddish glow that meant light streamed upon him from the entrance hall. He waited. Any moment, the people for whom he had tried to die would see him, lying apparently dead, in Hagrid's arms. _

"_No!"_

_The scream was more terrible because he had never expected or dreamed that Professor McGonagall could make such a sound. He heard another woman laughing nearby, and knew that Bellatrix gloried in McGonagall's despair. He squinted again for a single second and saw the open doorway filling with people, as the survivors of the battle came out onto the front steps to face their vanquishers and see the truth of Harry's death for themselves. He saw Voldemort standing a little in front of him, stroking Nagini's head with a single white finger. He closed his eyes again._

"_No!"_

"_No!"_

"_Harry! HARRY!"_

_Ron's, Hermione's and Ginny's voices were worse than McGonagall's; Harry wanted nothing more than to call back, yet he made himself lie silent, and their cries acted like a trigger; the crowd of survivors took up the cause, screaming and yelling abuse at the Death Eaters, until –_

"_SILENCE!" cried Voldemort, and there was a bang and a flash of bright light, and silence was forced upon them all. "It is over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!"_

_Harry felt himself lowered onto the grass._

"_You see?" said Voldemort, and Harry felt him striding backward and forward right beside the place where he lay. "Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"_

"_He beat you!" yelled Ron, and the charm broke, and the defenders of Hogwarts were shouting and screaming again until a second, more powerful bang extinguished their voices once more._

"_He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds," said Voldemort, and there was relish in his voice for the lie, "killed while trying to save himself –"_

_But Voldemort broke off: Harry heard a scuffle and a shout, then another bang, a flash of light, and a grunt of pain; he opened his eyes an infinitesimal amount. Someone had broken free of the crowd and charged at Voldemort: Harry saw the figure hit the ground, disarmed, Voldemort throwing the challenger's wand aside and laughing._

"_And who is this?" he said in his soft snake's hiss. "Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?"_

_Bellatrix gave a delighted laugh._

"_It is Neville Longbottom, my Lord! The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?"_

"_Ah, yes, I remember," said Voldemort, looking down at Neville, who was struggling back to his feet, unarmed and unprotected, standing in the no-man's-land between the survivors and the Death Eaters. "But you are a pureblood, aren't you, my brave boy?" Voldemort asked Neville, who stood facing him, his empty hands curled in fists._

"_So what if I am?" said Neville loudly._

"_You show spirit and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom."_

"_I'll join you when hell freezes over," said Neville. "Dumbledore's Army!" he shouted, and there was an answering cheer from the crowd, whom Voldemort's Silencing Charms seemed unable to hold._

"_Very well," said Voldemort, and Harry heard more danger in the silkiness of his voice than in the most powerful curse. "If that is your choice, Longbottom, we revert to the original plan. On your head," he said quietly, "be it."_

_Still watching through his lashes, Harry saw Voldemort wave his wand. Seconds later, out of one of the castle's shattered windows, something that looked like a misshapen bird flew through the half light and landed in Voldemort's hand. He took the mildewed object by its pointed end and it dangled, empty and ragged: the Sorting Hat._

"_There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts School," said Voldemort. "There will be no more Houses. The emblem, shield and colors of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone. Won't they, Neville Longbottom?"_

_He pointed his wand at Neville, who grew rigid and still, then forced the hat onto Neville's head, so that it slipped down below his eyes. There were movements from the watching crowd in front of the castle, and as one, the Death Eaters raised their wands, holding the fighters of Hogwarts at bay._

"_Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me," said Voldemort, and with a flick of his wand, he caused the Sorting Hat to burst into flames._

_Screams split the dawn, and Neville was aflame, rooted to the spot, unable to move, and Harry could not bear it; He must act –_

_And then many things happened at the same moment._

_They heard uproar from the distant boundary of the school as what sounded like hundreds of people came swarming over the out-of-sight walls and pelted toward the castle, uttering loud war cries. At the same time, Grawp came lumbering around the side of the castle and yelled, "HAGGER!" His cry was answered by roars from Voldemort's giants: They rant at Grawp like bull elephants, making the earth quake. Then came hooves and the twangs of bows, and arrows were suddenly falling amongst the Death Eaters, who broke ranks, shouting their surprise. Harry pulled the Invisibility Cloak from inside his robes, swung it over himself, and sprang to his feet, as Neville moved too. _

_In one swift, fluid motion, Neville broke free of the Body-Bind Curse upon him; the flaming hat fell off him and he drew from its depths something silver, with a glittering, rubied handle –_

_The slash of the silver blade could not be heard over the roar of the oncoming crowd or the sounds of the clashing giants or of the stampeding centaurs, and yet it seemed to draw every eye. With a single stroke Neville sliced off the great snake's head, which spun high into the air, gleaming in the light flooding from the entrance hall, and Voldemort's mouth was open in a scream of fury that nobody could hear, and the snake's body thudded to the ground at his feet –_

_Hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak, Harry cast a Shield Charm between Neville and Voldemort before the latter could raise his wand. Then, over the screams and the roars and the thunderous stamps of the battling giants, Hagrid's yell came loudest of all._

"_HARRY!" Hagrid shouted. "HARRY – WHERE'S HARRY?"_

_Chaos reigned. The charging centaurs were scattering the Death Eaters, everyone was fleeing the giants' stamping feet, and nearer and nearer thundered the reinforcements that had come from who knew where; Harry saw great winged creatures soaring around the heads of Voldemort's giants, thestrals and Buckbeak the hippogriff scratching at their eyes while Grawp punched and pummeled them; and now the wizards, defenders of Hogwarts and Death Eaters alike, were being forced back into the castle. Harry was shooting jinxes and curses at any Death Eater he could see, and they crumpled, not knowing what or who had hit them, and their bodies were trampled by the retreating crowd._

_Still hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak, Harry was buffeted into the entrance hall: He was searching for Voldemort and saw him across the room, firing spells from his wand as he backed into the Great Hall, still screaming instructions to his followers as he sent curses flying left and right; Harry cast more Shield Charms, and Voldemort's would-be victims, Seamus Finnigan and Hannah Abbott, darted past him into the Great Hall, where they joined the fight already flourishing inside it. _

_And now there were more, even more people storming up the front steps, and Harry saw Charlie Weasley overtaking Horace Slughorn, who was still wearing his emerald pajamas. They seemed to have returned at the head of what looked like the families and friends of every Hogwarts student who had remained to fight, along with the shopkeepers and homeowners of Hogsmeade. The centaurs Bane, Ronan, and Magorian burst into the hall with a great clatter of hooves, as behind Harry the door that led to the kitchens was blasted off its hinges._

_The house-elves of Hogwarts swarmed into the entrance hall, screaming and waving carving knives and cleavers, and at their head, the locket of Regulus Black bouncing on his chest, was Kreacher, his bullfrog's voice audible even above this din: "Fight! Fight! Fight for my Master, defender of house-elves! Fight the Dark Lord, in the name of brave Regulus! Fight!"_

_They were hacking and stabbing at the ankles and shins of Death Eaters, their tiny faces alive with malice, and everywhere Harry looked Death Eaters were folding under sheer weight of numbers, overcome by spells, dragging arrows from wounds, stabbed in the leg by elves, or else simply attempting to escape, but swallowed by the oncoming horde._

_But it was not over yet: Harry sped between duelers, past struggling prisoners, and into the Great Hall._

_Voldemort was in the center of the battle, and he was striking and smiting all within reach. Harry could not get a clear shot, but fought his way nearer, still invisible, and the Great Hall became more and more crowded as everyone who could walk forced their way inside. _

_Harry saw Yaxley slammed to the floor by George and Lee Jordan, saw Dolohov fall with a scream at Flitwick's hands, saw Walden Macnair thrown across the room by Hagrid, hit the stone wall opposite, and slide unconscious to the ground. He saw Ron and Neville bringing down Fenrir Greyback, Aberforth Stunning Rookwood, Arthur and Percy flooring Thicknesse, and Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy running through the crowd, not even attempting to fight, screaming for their son._

_Voldemort was now dueling McGonagall, Slughorn, and Kingley all at once, and there was cold hatred in his face as they wove and ducked around him, unable to finish him –_

_Bellatrix was still fighting too, fifty yards away from Voldemort, and like her master she dueled three at once: Hermione, Ginny, and Luna, all battling their hardest, but Bellatrix was equal to them, and Harry's attention was diverted as a Killing Curse shot so close to Ginny that she missed death by an inch –_

_He changed course, running at Bellatrix rather than Voldemort, but before he had gone a few steps he was knocked sideways._

"_NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"_

_Mrs. Weasley threw off her cloak as she ran, freeing her arms. Bellatrix spun on the spot, roaring with laughter at the sight of her new challenger._

"_OUT OF MY WAY!" shouted Mrs. Weasley to the three girls, and with a swipe of her hand she began to duel. Harry watched with terror and elation as Molly Weasley's wand slashed and twirled, and Bellatrix Lestrange's smile faltered and became a snarl. Jets of light flew from both wands, the floor around the witches' feet became hot and cracked; both women were fighting to kill._

"_No!" Mrs. Weasley cried as a few students ran forward, trying to come to her aid. "Get back! Get back! She is mine!"_

_Hundreds of people now lined the walls, watching the two fights, Voldemort and his three opponents, Bellatrix and Molly, and Harry stood, invisible, torn between both, wanting to attack and yet to protect, unable to be sure that he would not hit the innocent._

"_What will happen to your children when I've killed you?" taunted Bellatrix, as mad as her master, capering as Molly's curses danced around her. "When Mummy's gone the same way as Freddie?"_

"_You –will – never—touch – our – children – again!" screamed Mrs. Weasley._

_Bellatrix laughed, the same exhilarated laugh her cousin Sirius had given as he toppled backward through the veil, and suddenly Harry knew what was going to happen before it did._

_Molly's curse soared beneath Bellatrix's outstretched arm and hit her squarely in the chest, directly over her heart._

_Bellatrix's gloating smile froze, her eyes seemed to bulge: For the tiniest space of time she knew what had happened, and then she toppled, and the watching crowd roared, and Voldemort screamed._

_Harry felt as though he turned in slow motion; he saw McGonagall, Kingsley, and Slughorn blasted backward, flailing and writhing through the air, as Voldemort's fury at the fall of his last, best lieutenant exploded with the force of a bomb. Voldemort raised his wand and directed it at Molly Weasley._

"_Protego!" roared Harry, and the Shield Charm expanded in the middle of the Hall, and Voldemort stared around for the source as Harry pulled off the Invisibility Cloak at last._

_The yell of shock, the cheers, the screams on every side of "Harry!" "HE'S ALIVE!" were stifled at once. The crowd was afraid, and silence fell abruptly and completely as Voldemort and Harry looked at each other, and began, at the same moment, to circle each other._

"_I don't want anyone else to try to help," Harry said loudly, and in the total silence his voice traveled like a trumpet call. "It's got to be like this. It's got to be me."_

_Voldemort hissed._

"_Potter doesn't mean that," he said, his red eyes wide. "That isn't how he works, is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today, Potter?"_

"_Nobody," said Harry simply. "There are no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good..."_

"_One of us?" jeered Voldemort, and his whole body was taut and his red eyes stared, a snake that was about to strike. "You think it will be you, do you, the boy who has survived by accident, and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings?"_

"_Accident, was it, when my mother died to save me?" asked Harry. They were still moving sideways, both of them, in that perfect circle, maintaining the same distance from each other, and for Harry no face existed but Voldemort's. "Accident, when I decided to fight in that graveyard? Accident, that I didn't defend myself tonight, and still survived, and returned to fight again?"_

"_Accidents!" screamed Voldemort, but still he did not strike, and the watching crowd was frozen as if Petrified, and of the hundreds in the Hall, nobody seemed to breathe but they two. "Accident and chance and the fact that you crouched and sniveled behind the skirts of greater men and women, and permitted me to kill them for you!"_

"_You won't be killing anyone else tonight," said Harry as they circled, and stared into each other's eyes, green into red. "You won't be able to kill any of them ever again. Don't you get it? I was ready to die to stop you from hurting these people –"_

"_But you did not!"_

"—_I meant to, and that's what did it. I've done what my mother did. They're protected from you. Haven't you noticed how none of the spells you put on them are binding? You can't torture them. You can't touch them. You don't learn from your mistakes, Riddle, do you?"_

"_You dare –"_

"_Yes, I dare," said Harry. "I know things you don't know, Tom Riddle. I know lots of important things that you don't. Want to hear some, before you make another big mistake?"_

_Voldemort did not speak, but prowled in a circle, and Harry knew that he kept him temporarily mesmerized and at bay, held back by the faintest possibility that Harry might indeed know a final secret..._

"_Is it love again?" said Voldemort, his snake's face jeering. "Dumbledore's favorite solution, love, which he claimed conquered death, though love did not stop him falling from the tower and breaking like an old waxwork? Love, which did not prevent me stamping out your Mudblood mother like a cockroach, Potter – and nobody seems to love you enough to run forward this time and take my curse. So what will stop you dying now when I strike?"_

"_Just one thing," said Harry, and still they circled each other, wrapped in each other, held apart by nothing but the last secret._

"_If it is not love that will save you this time," said Voldemort, "you must believe that you have magic that I do not, or else a weapon more powerful than mine?"_

"_I believe both," said Harry, and he saw shock flit across the snakelike face, though it was instantly dispelled; Voldemort began to laugh, and the sound was more frightening than his screams; humorless and insane, it echoed around the silent Hall._

"_You think you know more magic than I do?" he said. "Than I, than Lord Voldemort, who has performed magic that Dumbledore himself never dreamed of?"_

"_Oh, he dreamed of it," said Harry, "but he knew more than you, knew enough not to do what you've done."_

"_You mean he was weak!" screamed Voldemort. "Too weak to dare, too weak to take what might have been his, what will be mine!"_

"_No, he was cleverer than you," said Harry, "a better wizard, a better man."_

"_I brought about the death of Albus Dumbledore!"_

"_You thought you did," said Harry, "but you were wrong."_

_For the first time, the watching crowd stirred as the hundreds of people around the walls drew breath as one._

"_Dumbledore is dead!" Voldemort hurled the words at Harry as though they would cause him unendurable pain. "His body decays in the marble tomb in the grounds of this castle, I have seen it, Potter, and he will not return!"_

"_Yes, Dumbledore's dead," said Harry calmly, "but you didn't have him killed. He chose his own manner of dying, chose it months before he died, arranged the whole thing with the man you thought was your servant."_

"_What childish dream is this?" said Voldemort, but still he did not strike, and his red eyes did not waver from Harry's._

"_Severus Snape wasn't yours," said Harry. "Snape was Dumbledore's, Dumbledore's from the moment you started hunting down my mother. And you never realized it, because of the thing you can't understand. You never saw Snape cast a Patronus, did you, Riddle?"_

_Voldemort did not answer. They continued to circle each other like wolves about to tear each other apart. _

"_Snape's Patronus was a doe," said Harry, "the same as my mother's, because he loved her for nearly all of his life, from the time they were children. You should have realized," he said as he saw Voldemort's nostrils flare, "he asked you to spare her life, didn't he?"_

"_He desired her, that was all," sneered Voldemort, "but when she had gone, he agreed that there were other women, and of purer blood, worthier of him –"_

"_Of course he told you that," said Harry, "but he was Dumbledore's spy from the moment you threatened her, and he's been working against you ever since! Dumbledore was already dying when Snape finished him!"_

"_It matters not!" shrieked Voldemort, who had followed every word with rapt attention, but now let out a cackle of mad laughter. "It matters not whether Snape was mine or Dumbledore's, or what petty obstacles they tried to put in my path! I crushed them as I crushed your mother, Snape's supposed great love! Oh, but it all makes sense, Potter, and in ways that you do not understand!_

"_Dumbledore was trying to keep the Elder Wand from me! He intended that Snape should be the true master of the wand! But I got there ahead of you, little boy – I reached the wand before you could get your hands on it, I understood the truth before you caught up. I killed Severus Snape three hours ago, and the Elder Wand, the Deathstick, the Wand of Destiny is truly mine! Dumbledore's last plan went wrong, Harry Potter!"_

"_Yeah, it did," said Harry. "You're right. But before you try to kill me, I'd advise you to think about what you've done... Think, and try for some remorse, Riddle..."_

"_What is this?"_

_Of all the things that Harry had said to him, beyond any revelation or taunt, nothing had shocked Voldemort like this. Harry saw his pupils contract into thin slits saw the skin around his eyes whiten. _

"_It's your last chance," said Harry, "it's all you've got left... I've seen what you'll be otherwise... Be a man... try... Try for some remorse..."_

"_You dare --?" said Voldemort again._

"_Yes, I dare," said Harry, "because Dumbledore's last plan hasn't backfired on me at all. It's backfired on you, Riddle."_

_Voldemort's hand was trembling on the Elder Wand, and Harry gripped Draco's very tightly. The moment, he knew, was seconds away._

"_That wand still isn't working properly for you because you murdered the wrong person. Severus Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand. He never defeated Dumbledore."_

"_He killed –"_

"_Aren't you listening? Snape never beat Dumbledore! Dumbledore's death was planned between them! Dumbledore intended to die undefeated, the wand's last true master! If all had gone as planned, the wand's power would have died with him, because it had never been won from him!"_

"_But then, Potter, Dumbledore as good as gave me the wand!" Voldemort's voice shook with malicious pleasure. "I stole the wand from its last master's tomb! I removed it against its last master's wishes! Its power is mine!"_

"_You still don't get it, Riddle, do you? Possessing the wand isn't enough! Holding it, using it, doesn't make it really yours. Didn't you listen to Ollivander? The wand chooses the wizard... The Elder Wand recognized a new master before Dumbledore died, someone who never even laid a hand on it. The new master removed the wand from Dumbledore against his will, never realizing exactly what he had done, or that the world's most dangerous wand had given him its allegiance..."_

_Voldemort's chest rose and fell rapidly, and Harry could feel the curse coming, feel it building inside the wand pointed at his face. _

"_The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy."_

_Blank shock showed in Voldemort's face for a moment, but then it was gone._

"_But what does it matter?" he said softly. "Even if you are right, Potter, it makes no difference to you and me. You no longer have the phoenix wand: We duel on skill alone... and after I have killed you, I can attend to Draco Malfoy..."_

"_But you're too late," said Harry. "You've missed your chance. I got there first. I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took this wand from him."_

_Harry twitched the hawthorn wand and he felt the eyes of everyone in the Hall fall upon it._

"_So it all comes down to this, doesn't it?" whispered Harry. "Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does... I am the true master of the Elder Wand."_

_A red-gold glow burst suddenly across the enchanted sky above them as an edge of dazzling sun appeared over the sill of the nearest window. The light hit both of their faces at the same time, so that Voldemort's was suddenly a flaming blur. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he too yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco's wand:_

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

"_Expelliarmus!"_

_The bang was like a cannon blast, and the golden flames that erupted between them, at the dead center of the circle they had been treading, marked the point where the spells collided. Harry saw Voldemort's green jet meet his own spell, saw the Elder Wand fly high, dark against the sunrise, spinning across the enchanted ceiling like the head of Nagini, spinning through the air toward the master it would not kill, who had come to take full possession of it at last. And Harry, with the unerring skill of the Seeker, caught the wand in his free hand as Voldemort fell backward, arms splayed, the slit pupils of the scarlet eyes rolling upward. Tom Riddle hit the floor with a mundane finality, his body feeble and shrunken, the white hands empty, the snakelike face vacant and unknowing. Voldemort was dead, killed by his own rebounding cruse, and Harry stood with two wands in his hand, staring down at his enemy's shell._

_One shivering second of silence, the shock of the moment suspended: and then the tumult broke around Harry as the screams and the cheers and the roars of the watchers rent the air. The fierce new sun dazzled the windows as they thundered toward him, and the first to reach him were Ron and Hermione, and it was their arms that were wrapped around him, their incomprehensible shouts that deafened him. Then Ginny, Neville and Luna were there, and then all the Weasleys and Hagrid, and Kingsley and McGonagall and Flitwick and Sprout, and Harry could not hear a word that anyone was shouting, nor tell whose hands were seizing him, pulling him, trying to hug some part of him, hundreds of them pressing in, all of them determined to touch the Boy Who Lived, the reason it was over at last –_

The prophesy faded out at that. Hermione and Draco sat shocked at the fact that his father had seen everything that was to happen in the final battle. It had been like they were there during the whole thing and they could feel every single feeling that Harry must have felt. Hermione was sapped of her energy by this point and didn't think she could take seeing anymore prophecies, so she decided that they should just get the rest copied, along with the last battle so they could show Harry. They collected their copies of the discs at the front desk and apparated home to get some rest. It had been a long day and they both needed it.

**A/N: the section in italics is from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, chapters thirty-four and thirty six. I am sorry it has taken me so long to get this chapter up, but i have been very busy and I had a bit of writers block until I remembered that they needed to go see the prophecies at some point. I promise i will have the next one up much sooner!!! Please R & R!!! Please note that not is all word for word in the italics... **


	27. Conversations

Hermione and Draco both flopped down onto the couch as soon as they entered the house. It was amazing how drained you could get after watching only a few prophecies. Hermione knew that the last one was quite long and since you had to feel everything Harry had felt, it was horrible. She could not imagine how it must have been for him in person. Hermione could also not imagine having that long of a vision. Lucius must have been out of it for hours. She felt like crying and screaming and asking why her friend had to go through all of that. How had people actually fell for his 'pureblood is perfection' speech when he wasn't even pure himself? It aggravated her to no end.

Draco was faring no better. He couldn't believe all that they had seen that afternoon. He now understood what it was like to be Harry Potter. He understood why his father had kept the prophecy hidden from the Dark Lord and not shared that he even had visions. He looked over to Hermione and noticed that she too was struggling. He grabbed her and pulled her close to him.

"Want to talk about it? It might make things easier to absorb."

"Your father knew, and yet he didn't say anything. He knew and yet he treated Harry like crap. He treated the savior of the wizarding world like crap. How could he do such a thing?"

"Hermione, look at the date written on the disc. It was recorded a week before the final battle. He never treated Harry horribly again after that. I am sure he told only my mother of the prophecy and that is why she lied and said that Harry was dead in the woods. Well, that and she wanted to find me. Hermione, there is something you should know. In the end, after father escaped from Azkaban, he started working with Severus to find a way to bring Voldemort down. He turned to the side of the light and that is one of the many reasons he didn't fight. If he had fought, he would have been murdered by Voldemort himself and he wanted to live and see that bastard fall for good. It took him realizing that Voldemort was after me to realize that he had to change or lose his family for good. He already knew he was going to die, he just wanted to make sure he had a real reason to be called a traitor than not fighting."

Hermione cuddled closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I still think it is horrific that he had to feel all that Harry was going to go through and that he saw his own death… I don't know what I would do if I had been in his position. I think I would have ended my life myself before anyone else had the opportunity to. Your father was very brave, Draco, and as much as I hate what he did in fifth year I think he changed when he was in Azkaban. He realized that he was on the losing side when he was arrested I think. He was very brave to switch sides as Snape switched sides and pretended to stay loyal. If that is not bravery then I don't know what is."

Draco smiled down at his wife and kissed her head and then he yawned. Hermione looked up at him and grinned.

"I think it is naptime Mr. Malfoy."

"I think so too. We have a long day tomorrow so how about we have an early dinner tonight and go to bed early?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Alright, well I'll race you to the bed."

"I think I'd rather stay right here like this for now, if you don't mind."

"Not at all love."

Draco and Hermione lay down on the couch and cuddled together. They fell asleep almost instantly. When they woke up they would have to pack for their move which was to occur the next day and send all their furniture to the house in Paris.

Hermione woke several hours later disoriented and confused about where she was. She looked around the room she was in and remembered that she and Draco had decided to nap on the couch in the sitting room. She was all alone in the room now so she figured that Draco must have gone to get some food for the two of them. Hermione got up and wandered around the house. She stopped outside the study where she heard some shuffling of papers.

She cracked the door open and peered into the room. Draco was sitting at the desk with a book and a pile of papers. She opened the door all the way and he looked up.

"What do you have there Draco?"

"I just found father's journal. It seems that he was unhappy with his lot in life for quite some time. Mother wrote some things in here after he went to prison. She wrote about the unbreakable vow that Severus, Professor Snape, took to protect me. She wrote that if she ever had the chance to fool the Dark Lord and mislead him she would just as vengeance for the position he put me in. Father also wrote that Professor Snape had been taking antivenin against Nagini for several years because he suspected that was how he would be taken out of this world. He also had plans to take draught of the living death if he was ever summoned during the war. It would be a time release dose that would not activate until he had been injured and was on the verge of dying. The draught he planned to take also contained a healing potion that would work regardless of the basilisk venom. You know what this means don't you? Severus Snape is still alive somewhere. We must find him Hermione. He is like family to me. He is my Godfather. He was one of father's closest friends. I was so wrong about him. He really was a spy. He really was on your side. We have to find him. We have to let him have the family he never got to have. Please say we can do this darling. If he's out there we have to find him and bring him home."

"If it means so much to you then we can do it. Do you have any clue as to where he could be?"

"Father's journal said that Severus told him he would likely go to either the outskirts of Paris or to Rome, Italy. Severus is fluent in both French and Italian. He could pass as one of them with no problems. We can start the search in Paris and if we can't find him there I will go look for him in Rome. I don't want you traveling around a lot and getting stressed out, I don't want you having another one of those episodes where the babies stupefy you."

"That's fine. How about we get some dinner and we can talk more about it then. I'm starving and we still have to pack up all of our stuff and ship it off to the house in Paris."

"I've already done most of the packing. I couldn't sleep so I did it while you napped."

"Why didn't you wake me? I would have helped you."

"You need your sleep. You have two babies growing inside you and I don't want you getting too tired. You know what the healer said about getting too tired and stressed. I don't want anything happening to you and the babies. Come on, let's go get something to eat and then we'll finish with the packing that I didn't get done. How about Italian for dinner?"

"Alright, let's go."


End file.
